丹．萊斯（Dan Les）終生從事陶塑藝術，製作裝飾性的器皿和雕塑。他獲獎作品的設計靈感來自他所居住的地區，也是羅馬尼亞的一個小鎮。他的手藝傳承自他的父親，在談到自己創作的過程時，他說：「製作陶器的黏土需要發酵一年，經過雨水澆灌、凝固和軟化等過程，才能加以塑造。你的雙手會感覺到黏土似乎會聽見你的心意。」

當黏土「聽話」時，會怎麼樣呢？黏土會願意讓窯匠來陶造。先知耶利米在窯匠的家，就觀察到這一點。他看到窯匠費盡心思將做壞了的泥坯重新塑造成新的器皿（耶利米書18章4節）。上帝對耶利米說：「泥在窯匠的手中怎樣，你們在我的手中也怎樣。」（6節）

上帝能夠建立我們，也能夠拆毀我們，但祂最終的目的不是要控制或毀滅我們（7-10節）。上帝就像是一位能工巧匠，能辨識出這塊黏土哪裡不好，並加以重新塑造，使之成為美麗且有用的器皿。

「聽話」的黏土不會提出異議，而是會任由窯匠陶造、塑形，然後保持這個形狀。我們也可捫心自問，是否願意「謙卑，服在上帝大能的手下」（彼得前書5章6節，新譯本），讓上帝將我們的生命塑造成祂所要的樣式？

Dan Les, a lifelong potter, creates decorative vessels and sculptures. His award-winning designs are inspired by the town in Romania where he lives. Having learned the craft from his father, he made this comment about his work: “[Clay needs to] ferment for a year, to have rain fall on it, to freeze and thaw out [so that] . . . you can shape it and feel through your hands that it is listening to you.”

What happens when clay “listens”? It’s willing to yield to the artisan’s touch. The prophet Jeremiah observed this when he visited a potter’s house. He watched as the craftsman struggled with a vessel and finally reshaped it into something new (Jeremiah 18:4). God said to Jeremiah, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand” (v. 6).

God has the ability to build us up or bring us down, yet His ultimate purpose isn’t to overpower or destroy us (vv. 7-10). Rather, He’s like a skilled craftsman who can identify what isn’t working and reshape the same lump of clay into something beautiful and useful.

Listening clay doesn’t have much to say about this. When prodded, it moves in the desired direction. When molded, it stays in place. The question for us is this: are we willing to “humble [ourselves] under God’s mighty hand” (1 Peter 5:6) so He can shape our lives into what He wants them to be?