A few weeks ago we visited the alabaster factory of one of our friends.
Alabaster pottery is one of our most unique and beautiful locally produced handicrafts. Alabaster rock is quarried a few hundred kilometres south of us and shipped to local alabaster factories which shape the rough rock into beautiful pieces of art. So far all of our guests have taken at least a few pieces home.
Below is a worker rough cutting a huge chunk into more manageable shapes. Notice his lack of eye protection and the cotton batting for ear protection. I can't imagine the toll this kind of work takes as after only a few minutes our ears were ringing, eyes were watering and throats were hoarse from the dust.
Two other men are working on lathes to create jar- like shapes
The last man polishes the jars to a nice smooth finish. Notice the finished jars lined up behind him.
The finished product.
Alabaster has swirls of yellow and white which, when illuminated from behind, give it an almost translucent quality. It also has an ancient quality to it. Even the most recently produced jar appears as though it was just excavated from an ancient burial site. While it seems so fragile it actually is a rather rugged and durable material.
It reminds us how we too are the works of a potters hands. Fragile yet rugged. Beautiful and unique. Both temporal and eternal. Ready to be filled. Ready to reflect His light.
