Watching a potter at work is fascinating. The potter shapes a lump of clay into something graceful and beautiful. If he or she is dissatisfied with the results, or if something goes wrong, they merely start over from the beginning. That is how it is with us - God is at work shaping and perfecting us. Our experiences, both positive, and negative, are the tools that God uses. Mistakes are not disasters; there is always another chance. God is not finished with us, and God will not stop shaping us until we reflect his beauty and glory.

There are all sorts of people in the kingdom of God. We tend to separate and label people as either good or bad, but it is not always that simple. Very few people are completely good or totally evil - most are a distressing mixture of both. The net that is cast pulls everyone in but separating good from evil occurs at the end of time, and it is not our job. Judgement belongs to God alone, not to humans. In the meantime, we can continue being shaped by God each day and we can help our brothers and sisters along the way in their struggles.