What can we do with our broken places?

I was fortunate this week to be able to attend a 24 hour retreat for ministers who work with children and youth at Sister's of Loretto retreat center in Loretto, KY.
Our first exercise when we gathered together consisted of working with clay while hearing scripture read to us…Isaiah 49: 1-7. We just kneaded the clay at first while considering the lives we knead, push and pull on just like a potter forms a bowl from clay. Then we were asked to consider those who pushed and formed us in our faith.If our clay were to become a vision of who we are as a result of those who formed us, what would we look like?
My creation looked like a mountain of broken pieces of clay topped by a heart. I feel like I came to the church beaten and broken by life, but the saints I encountered took what I brought and built up something strong by adding nothing more than love.
We all come to God with brokenness. How wonderful is our God that the answer to that brokenness is to place another broken individual in our paths in whom we can love and be loved? A rather simple solution to a complex problem, but extremely effective.
Thank you, God, for filling in my broken cracks and crevasses with love.

Shalom,
Tracy