The largest and most expensive pearl on record is valued at one hundred million dollars, weighs nearly seventy-five pounds, and is almost two feet long (FORBES.com).
How does a pearl form, and why is it so valuable? People cannot make it. It’s a work of God through nature with an incredible story.
Initially, an irritant enters the shell of a mollusk, such as an oyster or clam. Foreign objects like a grain of sand, food, or a parasite embed in the mantle or muscular wall of the mollusk and surround the vital organs. Then, as a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes two thick organic liquids that combine to form its shell. Multiple layers of this combination cover the irritant, preventing organ damage. Over time, this substance becomes hard and smooth.
The main thing is the irritant. An irritant is uncomfortable for the body and creates a painful experience. As with any irritant, it causes inflammation in the tissue around it. The secretion is a nasty substance, like puss forming around a splinter or other foreign object. There’s nothing pretty or comfortable about this painful process.
We can liken that to our spiritual lives. With each storm of life, we become a little more resistant to pain and inflammation. With each one we encounter, we form another layer of resistance to protect the vital parts on the inside. The things that once would’ve crippled our faith now become a source of strength. We can withstand a little more each time.
Our storms aren’t meant to break us but to strengthen us. We should be able to draw on our life experiences to encourage ourselves and others to keep their trust in the Lord. Just as the pearl grows inside the oyster, our hearts should continue to thrive with each battle we endure. A younger Christian should see our value and wisdom increase with each trial we encounter.
Durability determines the value of a pearl. Each pearl is a result of something once painful to the host. We should become more durable in life’s storms. What’s on the inside should develop more faith and trust in God. Spiritually, we should become a pearl of great price.
How can you let the storms of life make you a pearl of great price?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and Schäferle.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Andy is a published multi-award-winning author with devotions appearing on the Christian Devotions website as well as the CBN website. He is a contributing author in the Starr Ayers/Stephanie Pavlantos book Room at the Table. Currently, he is working on his first novel and is assembling a book of inspirational Scripture-based short stories along with moral, personal, family, and comical stories. Andy is the founder and director of H.O.P.E. Ministries in Candler, NC. While operating primarily as a food ministry, they also provide backpacks, Easter baskets, and Christmas shoebox gifts to crisis pregnancy centers, domestic violence shelters, schools, government agencies, and other ministries. They also provide disaster relief and aid for unwed mothers and their children.