Clay Balls
A man was exploring caves by theSeashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.
Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or w ell known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with you..
Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.
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Thanks for that story! It is SO true. There is a line in a contemporary Christian song that says, "Give me Your eyes so I can see". I thought of that song as I read this. You are such a beautiful lady, Shirlene!
Blessings,
Diane
1312Thanks for the beautiful inspiration Shirlene. This story is so true. One of our choir members can be a very negative person. I decided to get to know her outside of choir and have found that diamond in the rough. Fear of rejection is often the reason someone does no let their true self shine through. Thanks for reminding us to look beyond the clay vessel. Hugs and prayers.
Cindy B.
11473This is so true shirlene, Thank you/ Lillian *
2 comments
by shirlener88
27 Jun 2010
It is - isn't it? Thanks so much! Just following your and Jerrilyn's lead.
145791A wonder parable for life. Thanks for sharing it. We have always know you were a treasure to keep.
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62461Shirlene, thanks for posting this! It is sooooo true. I even know people that will not befriend others because of the way they look or because they think a person can do nothing for them. These are the real losers. All that glitters is not gold and visa-versa! You just never know until you real out to touch a heart! Alot of people value people by money or what they have(that can be seen) and not what kind of person they are inside. Money or wealth can NOT buy the important things in life!
I hope and pray that things are still getting better for You and Rick and that the both of you trust in the Lord to get you through all of this. Prayers are still being said for the both of you! Hugs, Linda
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by shirlener88
26 Jun 2010
Linda, thank you so much - you are sure right about this, too. Thanks for the prayers - we sure need them. We are having tough times - but we also know - that God has a plan - we will continue to believe that He will show us the way.
24961This is one of my favorites. I had seen it before and it was great to see it again. God can use us all if we open ourselves up to whatever He puts in our paths. If we are not willing to step out of our comfort zone, we are missing out on so many blessings. We just never know what is inside a persons heart until we open ours to them. Thanks for sharing. God bless, Judy
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10530I love this. Thank you for sharing it. There is a scripture in Samuel that says God doesn't look on the outside but the inside. I think it is also found in the NT too.
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36693I love this Shirlene, it's beautifully worded. Thanks for sharing it with us all.
Love and blessings Chris
He is the potter and we are the clay!
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52685Love the story. My husband and I have often met people that we call diamonds in the rough. So many people passed them by, but they turned out to be such wonderful loving people who were so caring of us. I am so aware of my own clay vessel and am trying to let my gem show through, but is ithard to do.
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by shirlener88
26 Jun 2010
Karen, one of my most favoite songs is: "I am just a chunk of coal and I am going to be a diamond, someday" which is what you are saying here - this is how I feel about me, too.
169064I like this a lot. Thanks for sharing.
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109774Thank you for sharing this, Shirlene. We are blessed with the friendship we have here on the Cute site. Hugs Lynn
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