God is a skilled potter who is not at all afraid to immerse his hands into the work of molding, kneading and re-shaping us. I pray with this image a lot. It reminds me of something a spiritual advisor once told me: do you not think that God cannot re-mold you, if only you let Him?

We know the story of Paul’s conversion well: his zealousness for the persecution of the new, fledgling followers of Jesus of Nazareth is documented in the Acts of the Apostles. His conversion would have raised red flags. As Ananias says, “Lord, I have heard . . . what evil things he has done.”

Yet it is God, not us, who kneads and molds. Even Paul’s zealousness can be used by God to proclaim the good news. How might God knead and shape us, even the parts of ourselves we can’t imagine being helpful to spread the Gospel?

—Dan Finucane teaches theology and coordinates Campus Ministry activities at St. Louis University High School in St. Louis MO.