Broken but Beautiful: Art Happens Where We Break

There’s something I’ve always loved about the way Scripture talks about vessels. They show up quietly—just jars and containers in the background—but somehow they always end up holding something important. Oil, water, perfume, bread… life-giving things.

And honestly, the more I think about it, the more I see myself in them. Maybe you do too.

We’re vessels.
Not perfect ones.
Not shiny, untouched, or flawless.
But shaped with purpose.

Life has a way of dinging us up—cracks from old hurts, chips from disappointments, places where we feel a little uneven. I’ve definitely had seasons where I felt more like a broken pot than anything useful. But the beautiful thing is this: God doesn’t toss out damaged vessels. He restores them.

In fact, He seems to delight in taking what’s fragile and making it meaningful.

I imagine God as the gentle Potter in Jeremiah 18—hands steady, completely unbothered by my messiness. He already knows every crack. He’s not surprised by what needs mending. And He doesn’t rush the process. He patiently reshapes us into who we were meant to be all along.

The more I sit with that, the more I realize:
My cracks don’t mean I’m failing.
They mean I’m human.

And somehow, those very cracks let light through. They draw me closer to God, closer to others, and closer to the truth of who I am meant to be.

You are not “too broken” to be beautiful or useful.
You’re not behind.
You’re not a lost cause.

You’re a work of art still being formed by loving hands.

Maybe today is a good moment to simply breathe and remember that. You are a vessel with a story—one the Potter hasn’t finished shaping yet. And there is a quiet, steady beauty in becoming.