Link here for Jeremiah 18 (NLT).

This is the Old Testament "prophetic" reference to clay in the potter's hand which then comes up again in the New Testament. So much of this world puts emphasis on being "self made" -- being our own people who draw ourselves up by our bootstraps and reach success in this world. For many years, I very much felt that way. I saw myself as raised by my parents but really being my own "self" able to go out and make myself into whatever I wanted. I have, over time, learned several problems with that. First of all, I was created by God for a specific purpose. That fact cannot be avoided. Second, my childhood played a huge role, whether I like it or not, in shaping me into the person I am today. Finally, when I try to go against what God intended, and when I try to, under my own will, overcome the man I am, things are difficult. I stumble and fail, just like the clay being re-molded in the potter's hand. I have so far to go yet but I hope that I am starting to learn what it means to tap into and pursue the plan that God has had for me all along.