Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Valuable Pearls
By Karen D’Amore

“…And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.”

They say that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” but I prefer pearls! Unlike diamonds which are mined from the earth, pearls are miraculously produced by live oysters in the deep seas. In contrast to diamonds, whose beauty is developed by man-made cuts and polishing, the pearl’s beauty cannot be manufactured by man.

“A natural pearl begins its life as a foreign object, such as a parasite or piece of shell that accidentally lodges itself in an oyster’s soft inner body where it cannot be expelled. To ease this irritant, the oyster’s body takes defensive action. The oyster begins to secrete a smooth, hard crystalline substance around the irritant in order to protect itself. This substance is called ‘nacre.’ As long as the irritant remains within its body, the oyster will continue to secrete layers of nacre around it. Over time, the irritant will be completely encased by the silky crystalline coatings, producing the lovely, lustrous gem called a pearl.” [1]

I’m encouraged by the process of an irritant transforming into a valuable gem. Life is filled with irritants. As Christ-followers, we’re not immune from irritating circumstances or relationships that “get under our skin!” There are times where I’ve wrestled with relationships that God has clearly allowed to remain in my inner-circle. Though irritating and sometimes unjust, I’ve worked to be tolerantly kind, but more than once, I’ve pleaded with and questioned God in the midst of it.

One pivotal morning, at the peak of my frustration…my favorite strand of pearls broke and scattered across the bedroom floor. As I frantically scooped the loose pearls into my hands, I was reminded of the pearl-creating process. In that moment, God impressed upon me that He wasn’t changing my irritating circumstances because He wanted to use the irritant to change me. God wanted to grow me and shape my godly character. My choice became: continue struggling with the irritant which inflamed me…or embrace it!

Embracing irritants and covering them with grace and love orchestrates opportunities for transformation into lustrous, valuable pearls! With “luster” being the beauty of light reflected from the pear’ls surface, it’s the pearl’s ability to reflect light that determines its value.

Got irritations? Cover them in prayer - - wrap them in love - - transform them into Light-reflecting, valuable pearls!


GOING DEEPER:
  1. Identify your irritation(s).
  2. Can you - - with the Lord’s help and guidance - - turn them into a lustrous strand of pearls?

FURTHER READING:

Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and a Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility.  She also serves on the Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events team.