Priced Like A Masterpiece

A cracked bowl with a hole in the bottom costs the same as the finest vase—why? We open with a vivid story from a small pottery shop in Mexico where a potter names one price for every piece he made, perfect or flawed. That startling moment turns into a powerful lens for identity, dignity, and purpose: your value is set by your Maker, not by your metrics.
If you’re tired of letting usefulness define you, this five-minute reflection offers a reset. Listen, breathe, and remember whose hands formed you and whose love names you. If the message speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a quick review so more people can find these morning resets. What line will you carry into your day?

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Morning Setup
• 0:21 The Trip To Mexico
• 0:49 Discovering The Potter’s Shop
• 1:38 The $5,000 Price Tag
• 3:25 Scripture On Identity And Worth
• 5:05 Closing Invitation

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mack. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and let me help you start your day right. Businessman and his wife decided that they were going to go down to Mexico for four weeks to get away from the business and family and everything else that was going on in their lives. After a couple of weeks of being in the resort and experiencing everything that it had to offer, they decided they wanted to travel through the countryside and begin to see some of the villages and some of the other sites that maybe the normal tourists wouldn't get a chance to see. So they rented a car and off they went. At one point they were going through a very poor village, when suddenly the wife shouted out stop. So the businessman stopped the car and he and his wife went back to this small ceramic shop. Sitting in the middle of the shop was an elderly Mexican gentleman who was working on a large bowl as they walked in. But what caught the woman's eye was that surrounding him were all of the finished pieces. There were beautiful vases and mugs and bowls and cups of all shapes and sizes, but the glaze that was on them was as rich and as beautiful as any that she'd ever seen. As the sunlight reflected off of these wonderful pieces, the glaze itself seemed to change color and it sparkled beautifully. She turned to her husband, I must have some of these pieces. I must have them. So the businessman went to the potter, pointed to one of the most beautiful pieces there, and says, Oh, how much for that piece right there? I love it. The potter looked at the piece and he looked at the man and he said, This is a very beautiful piece. I made it with my own hands. It's actually very important to me. That piece, that piece is five thousand dollars. What? said the businessman. Five thousand dollars for that? That can't be. He turned around and was about to walk out of the shop, but his wife stopped him. No, I must have a piece. So they turned around and went back in. This time the wife pointed to a smaller bowl. Surely that couldn't be more than a hundred dollars. The businessman took the bowl to the potter and once again said, Okay, how much is this one? The potter looked at the bowl and said, That's a very lovely piece. I made it with my own hands. It's very beautiful. It's actually very important to me. That piece is five thousand dollars. What? said the man. Five thousand dollars for that? You're crazy. And again he was about to stomp out, but his wife once again stopped him. So the man came back in. And sitting there beside the potter was a small bowl, had a little bit of a crack in it in the glaze. In fact, there actually was even a hole in the bottom of it. It looked like it had been beat up, not worth very much, and was probably going to get thrown on the trash heap. Just out of spite, the businessman said, How much for that piece right there, that one with the crack, that useless piece that's right there. Again the potter looked at it and said, That's actually a very beautiful piece. I made it with my own hands, and it's very special to me. It's five thousand dollars. The potter was able to make things that were very beautiful, but what was most important to him was that he had made it. You know in Jeremiah chapter five, verse one, God says, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Over in Psalm 139, starting in verse 13, the psalmist says this to God, For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. Over in Ephesians chapter two and verse ten. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so we could walk in them. Sometimes we don't feel very loved by anybody. It's at those points in time that we need to remember what God says about us, how much he loves us, how important we are to him. Ephesians chapter one, verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for an adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will. God has put each one of us together. He has designed us, and we are perfect in his sight. There are no second rate creations of God within his family. There are no mistakes along the way. When the light of God shines on each one of us, we show a beauty of God in our lives. He has created you perfect just as you are. You are very important to him, and he loves you very much. Thank you for listening today. And I invite you to join me Monday to Friday right here on Starting Right with Danny Mack.