Malleable or Hard Baked?

In the book of Jeremiah, there are two occasions when God uses the illustration of a clay pot. The first is in Chapter 18. There it talks about a pot that becomes mis-shapen while the potter is making it. The potter squashes the clay down, working it into a new pot according to his purposes. He is able to reshape the clay into a vessel that will still be useful to him, because it is still soft and malleable in his hands.
In Chapter 19, however, it is a very different story. This time God tells Jeremiah to go and buy a clay jar from the potter. He is to pronounce the judgment of God against the nation of Israel, then to break the jar as a sign to them. Just as the jar cannot be restored, they will not be rescued from His judgment.
What is the difference between these two clay jars? It is not their beauty or the quality of their workmanship – we are told nothing about these in relation to either of them. It is not the kind of clay used, not the purpose for which they were designed.
No, there is just one difference between the two: the first is still soft, pliable. The second has been fired and is hard baked.
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