Precious Pearls
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Pearls fascinate me. It is amazing how an oyster can turn a piece of grit into a beautiful white pearl. It covers the ugly and unwanted irritant in layers and layers of mother-of-pearl until a perfect pearl is formed. So it is poignant that Jesus tells a parable of a merchant who finds the most precious pearl he has ever seen and sells everything he has to buy this one beautiful gem. Pearls are different from many of the other gems, which come from stones. Pearls are born in the heart of the oyster, and they are formed to soothe the oyster’s pain and discomfort. I have seen how the challenges and tragedies of my life have been wrapped in layers and layers of God’s incredible love so that now I have come to see them as precious and beautiful pearls in my life. A miscarriage, five years of a life-limiting illness, a horrendous tragedy, and the loss of a job when my husband was unexpectedly relocated to pastor in Scotland. Over time all the things that felt like broken glass in my soul have been transformed into gifts that are incredibly precious to me. Out of them have come some of my books, empathy, a degree in family therapy, and the preparation needed to turn the once shyest girl in the school into a division Family Ministries director. God sees each of us as precious pearls.
Jesus gave up everything He had to come and save us. He took a long diversion to find an outcast Samaritan woman with a life full of complexities, brokenness, and pain. The Messiah was looking for the pearl of a wounded woman who could be transformed only by His loving grace. And though she came to the well looking for water, her deeper longing was for the Pearl of great price. And this is what the kingdom of God looks like—a merchant seeking a pearl. Jesus is still the Pearl of great price. He is our Pearl, and we are His pearls of great price. He pours His love and mercy over us time and time again, covering our pain layer by layer and transforming us into His precious gems that show His loving and gracious character.
