The man looked into the huge box of shattered glass. He gathered the pieces carefully and placed them on a tray. The heat of the open furnace was staggering. The force of the fire blowing was as fierce as dragon's breath. He closed the broken pieces of glass within the fiery tomb so as to enable him to mold them into the vision within his mind. He retrieved his long metal rod and opened the fiery tomb once more. Carefully, he dipped the rod into the molten glass. He had to keep the rod in constant motion as he blew through the long tube, molding the glass lovingly into his design. The glass glowed red as he worked. When the glass lost its heat, he would insert the glass into another furnace so it would glow red once again. Over and over, he went through this process until the glass was in the form he wanted. Carefully, he placed his precious glass piece in another special chamber designed to cool the glass in slow degrees. If the glass cooled too quickly, it would shatter, ruining the vessel he had so lovingly made.
We are God's blown glass. He takes our shattered lives and gathers them lovingly together. There are times we have to go through the fire in order for Him to mold us into His likeness. Constantly in motion, He guides us, designing us for His good purpose. There are times our hearts grow cold; and, once again, He has to put us through the fire so that we may glow again with the love of Christ. He gently leads us through the fires of life, always molding and shaping us that we may be better servants. He allows times of reprieves so that we can hold our shape and become strong … until it is time to re-mold us for a different purpose. There are times we think we will never survive the fire, but His eyes never leave us. He knows the exact amount of temperature and time that we need in order to be His vessel.
Christ, the most accomplished artist, creates within us the servant we need to be. No two souls are alike, yet we all are pieces of art, individually unique with gifts to encourage, bless, and uplift each other. We hold the image of the Artist within our souls, helping to lead others to The Glass Blower.