Pearl of a Great Price

Pearl of a Great Price

Written by Sandy Blaser

… The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46

 The finest quality pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and the word pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, and admirable.

The making of a pearl is very irritating to an oyster and it takes an oyster somewhere between three and six years to produce a perfect pearl.  The process begins with a small piece of sand or other irritant entering the oyster.  The oyster then coats it with layers of nacre which, after years of this process, a beautiful pearl is formed. Theoretically, the longer a pearl has to develop, the thicker and deeper the coating of nacre and the higher quality of the pearl.

It is said that not all oysters produce perfect pearls naturally.  In fact out of every three tons of oysters, you are likely to find only three or four that make a perfect pearl.

Life is full of unexpected exasperations and like the sand in an oyster; God uses little irritations in our own personal lives to create inner beauty.  These irritations are a must in order for the Lord to bring about His unique design and purposes.  For it is all through the hurt, pain and ugliness, that oftentimes, God begins creating His radiance in us.

Going through trying times certainly is not pleasant, but God gives us a promise that we can “rejoice” even in our sufferings, (James 1) because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).

When we embrace the struggle or irritation in our lives, then God faithfully uses it to make us into something beautiful.  But when we choose to run from or ignore our pain it is hard for us to learn from it and see God’s hand in it.  So it’s through embracing the tough times and trusting the Lord will ultimately help us become all God has designed us to be.

In Matthew 13, we see that a merchant sold all that he had to purchase a single pearl, but why, of all things, a pearl?  Interestingly, the only natural gemstone that has more value when it is found than when man finishes with it is the PEARL!  And my friend, you are the PEARL of a GREAT PRICE, the discovery of a lifetime!