Jeremiah 18:3

The prophet Jeremiah addresses the Jews in these words: "And I went down to the potter's house. Behold, he made a work on the stones. The vessel that he made in his hands was broken. Again he made another vessel, as it pleased him to make it. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Cannot I do to you as this potter, O house of Israel? Behold, you are like the clay of the potter in my hands.' " For I call your attention to this, that, as I said, after human transgression the great Hand was not content to leave as a trophy of victory its own work, debased by the evil one, who wickedly injured it from motives of envy, but moistened and reduced it to clay, as a potter breaks up a vessel, that by the remodeling of it all the blemishes and bruises in it may disappear, and it may be made afresh faultless and pleasing.

When, therefore, God speaks of an irremediable calamity, he does not say vessels of the potter, but an earthen vessel; when, for instance, he wished to teach the prophet and the Jews that he delivered up the city to an irremediable calamity, he bade him take an earthen wine-vessel, and crush it before all the people, and say, "Thus shall this city be destroyed, be broken in pieces." But when he wishes to hold out good hopes to them, he brings the prophet to a pottery, and does not show him an earthen vessel, but shows him a vessel of clay, which was in the hands of the potter, falling to the ground: and brings him to it saying, "If this potter has taken up and remodelled his vessel which has fallen, shall I not much rather be able to restore you when you have fallen?" It is possible therefore for God not only to restore those who are made of clay, through the laver of regeneration, but to bring back again to their original state, on their careful repentance, those who have received the power of the Spirit, and have lapsed.

(Chapter XVIII — Verses 1-6) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there you shall hear my words. So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working on a wheel (or stones). And the vessel that he was making of clay with his hands was spoiled in his hands; so he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to him to do.

Whatever is discerned by the eyes arrives to the judgment and understanding of the soul through every other sense, through hearing, smelling, tasting and touching, but is retained even more so by the mind. Thus, the prophet was commanded to go to the potter's house and there to hear the instructions of the Lord.

The prophet, then, goes down to the house of the potter and recounts what he beheld, saying: "And behold, he was doing a work upon his hands, and the vessel which he was making of the clay fell apart in his hands; and again he made it into another vessel, as it pleased him to make it." But I do not know what the prophet saw when he came to the potter. For he saw the potter working; the vessel that had been made was of clay; the vessel fell apart. Why did he not say precisely: he let the vessel go out of his hand — nor did he lay the cause upon the potter? But since the word is about ensouled vessels, which fall apart of themselves, for this reason it is said: "the vessel fell apart from his hands." Take heed, then, to yourself as well, lest, while being in the potter's hand and still being molded, you fall apart from his hands by your own doing. For "no one snatches out of his hands," according to what is said in the Gospel according to John. Yet it is not written that, as no one snatches, so no one falls apart out of his hands; for free will is free. And I say: no one shall snatch out of the shepherd's hand, no one is able to take us out of God's hand; but we ourselves, by being negligent, are able to fall apart from his hands.