Jars of Clay

So, I am teaching a youth group lesson about Clay Pots - the fragile nature of clay, despite it's early importance to God's people. I hope I don't screw up - so read . . . . . .
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WE HAVE THESE TREASURES IN JARS OF CLAY
Clay is plastic when wet, which means it can be easily shaped. When dry, it becomes firm and when subject to high temperature, known as firing, permanent physical and chemical reactions occur which, amongst other changes, causes the clay to be converted into a ceramic material. A fireplace or oven specifically designed for firing clay is called a kiln. These properties make clay an ideal substance for making durable pottery items, both practical and decorative, with different types of clay and firing conditions often used in earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. Early humans discovered the useful properties of clay in prehistoric times, and one of the earliest artifacts ever uncovered is a drinking vessel made of sun-dried clay. Depending on the content of the soil, clay can appear in various colors, from a dull gray to a deep orange-red.
Clays sintered in fire were the first ceramic, and remain one of the cheapest to produce and most widely used materials even in the present day. Bricks, cooking pots, art objects, dishware and even musical instruments such as the ocarinacan all be shaped from clay before being fired. Clay is also used in many industrial processes, such as paper making, cement production, pottery, and chemical filtering.

The development of pottery was a milestone in human history. These durable and watertight containers enabled people to boil and steam food which allowed them to exploit new sources of food such as shellfish, acorns, and leafy vegetables. Soft boiled foods could be eaten by toothless children and the elderly, which permitted caregivers to spend more time producing food. In Japan, for instance, the introduction of pottery was followed by a population explosion. In the archaeology of the Eastern Woodlands of North America the introduction of pottery is referred to as the container revolution.

Since pottery is a durable, man-made artifact which was utilized by various cultures around the world, it has proven to be a boon for archaeologists. Broken pottery in archaeological sites, called sherds or shards, help identify the resident culture and date the stratum by the formation, style and decoration. The relative chronologies based on pottery are essential for dating the remains of non-literate cultures and help in the dating of some historic cultures as well. Trace element analysis, mostly by neutron activation, allows the sources of clay to be accurately identified.

The invention of the potter's wheel in Mesopotamia sometime between 6,000 and 2,400 BCE revolutionized pottery production. Specialized potters were then able to meet the burgeoning needs of the world's first cities.

While artistic value of Classical Greek and Roman pottery largely consisted of the surface decoration, the pottery itself was an important art form in China, where efficient kilns allowed high temperature ware to be fired with wood, long before the use of coal.

The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being – Genesis 2:7 (Adamah – Hebrew for “earth”).

And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water. Numbers 5:17.

And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it. Leviticus 11:33.

And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. Leviticus 15:12.

Behold, I am toward God even as you are. I am also formed out of the clay. Job 33:6.

Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. Daniel 2:41.

When the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. "Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter [does]?" declares the LORD. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:4-6.

This is what the Lord Almighty, God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. Jeremiah 32:14.

The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! Lamentations 4:2.

You turn things upside down! Is the potter no better than his clay? Can something that has been made say about its maker, "He didn't make me"? Can a piece of pottery say about the potter, "He doesn't understand"? Isaiah 29:16.

How horrible it will be for the one who quarrels with his maker. He is pottery among other earthenware pots. Does the clay ask the one who shapes it, "What are you making?" Does your work say to you, "There are no handles"? Isaiah 45:9.

But now, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. We are the work of your hands. Isaiah 64:8

He answered, "The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went away and washed, and I received sight."Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, "He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see." John 9:11, 14-15.

Who do you think you are to talk back to God like that? Can an object that was made say to its maker, "Why did you make me like this?" A potter has the right to do whatever he wants with his clay. He can make something for a special occasion or something for everyday use from the same lump of clay. What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? Romans 9:20-22.

In a large house there are not only objects made of gold and silver, but also those made of wood and clay. Some objects are honored when they are used; others aren't. If a man therefore will cleanse himself from these, he will be a vessel to honor, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared to every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:20-22.

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:6-9.

He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father Revelation 2:27.