Intentional Jars

"So we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us". (2 Cor. 4:7)

Here's the homework:
"this treasure":  "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (from the verse before). I'd sum it up as "faith in the gospel".

"jars of clay": A common metaphor in the ancient world for human weakness

The word that makes all the difference
The first connecting word, "to", makes all the difference in the world. It's not just that we, unfortunately, are weak, and God still manages to do something with us. The verse makes it clear that our frailty is no accident. This is God's means to showing that the power belongs to him.

So, our failing bodies, our roller-coaster emotions, and even our unstable will are NOT merely a side effect that God is willing to work around. Rather, it is the precondition that he does anything at all! Your weakness is the ordained way that God has chosen to get things done.

Why? Because while there may be an infinite number of ways to "get God's stuff done" he is concerned with doing it in a way that makes people say, "What a God" and not "what a guy"...