Molded Into Perfection

Molded Into Perfection
Yesterday I was helping my daughter's youth group bake pies for a fundraiser. As we began to make the pie dough I discovered that a couple of the moms did not know how to make and roll out dough. So a teaching moment for them turned into a devotional moment for me.
One of the moms was trying really hard to make the crust roll out perfectly and precisely. This whole process was frustrating her and causing her to want to give up.
I assured her that pie dough was very forgiving and could be fixed with a little water and re-shaping. I also reassured her that at the end of the cooking process the pie would be beautiful.
At that moment God reminded me of how He takes the imperfect mass of our broken and shapeless lives and molds them into His perfection. When the water of the Holy Spirit is applied to our lives we are softened and become pliable in the Master's hands.
Isaiah 64:8 NLT "And yet, O Lord , you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand."
When we submit our lives to be molded, shaped and perfected into the work of His hands at the end of the process we will be beautiful!
In 2nd Corinthians 4:7 Paul tells us that we have a treasure in earthen vessels. That great treasure is God's power and glory perfected by the pressing, sometimes perplexing circumstances that come at us. He will use the persecution and times when we fall down to mold us.
When we fail, God is forgiving. When we become frustrated at the imperfections of our lives, He reminds us that if we trust and allow Him, He will fix us.
When He is glorified in all our perfecting processes, then it is indeed beautiful and perfect in the end!