The Pearl
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” -Matthew 13:45-46
Coastal waters. Waves. And brackish tides.
A pearl is inherently lovely, but to appreciate its refinement there’s a real need to look back to the grit … The very reason it came into being.
To understand the irritation.
The pain.
The thin layers of nacre covering the wound.
And the time spent transforming rawness into beauty.
Most precious gems are mined, but a pearl is formed from pain. In response to an irritant that slipped between the oyster’s mantle or drilled into its shell, it lays down layers of thin nacre, or Mother of Pearl. This is the same substance that was used to create its shell. Over time the oyster completely covers the foreign body with nacre transforming the raw irritant into something beautiful.
In the 1970s, American psychologist, Paul Eckman, identified six basic emotions that he believed were universally experienced by everyone in all cultures:
Happiness.
Sadness.
Disgust.
Fear.
Surprise.
Anger.
I suspect that at least a few of these are felt by every living thing.
The oyster is a simple bivalve and doesn’t overthink it’s predicament. It puts into play a basic, reflexive response to self protect … It recognizes that it’s been violated and needs to heal itself by secreting layers of nacre.
Nacre is tough stuff as anyone who has ever stepped on an oyster or downed a dozen at a raw bar can attest. The shell is strong, but scientists don’t fully understand how nacre functions. What they are discovering is that it has very similar properties to concrete and is very good at resisting compression. Lab made versions of nacre would be an ideal substitute for many plastics that become brittle under compression.
Humans, at least this human, have a tendency to become brittle under pressure. Often trying everything to assuage the pain but the one thing that will truly heal from within.
We build shells around our lives and find ways to distract ourselves from the pain.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to be still and lay down layers of protection from within. It’s far easier to be busy and to do the things that come naturally … To distract ourselves and let time and life wash over us. It’s far more difficult to rest.
But it’s in the waiting, when the volume of life is dialed down, that the Spirit of God whispers truth in my heart and I exhale pain into the wind.
The irritant is still there, but it’s being healed in a way that only God can … not simply masking the pain, but laying down layers of truth, love and grace which bring forth beauty from within.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
God purchased His children at a great price … The blood of His Son. I believe He will never leave me, continues to refine me, and sometimes introduces a situation or circumstance into my life that is so irritating and difficult that I can’t ignore it. It’s a hardship meant to refine and grow me in holiness as the nacre of the Spirit creates something beautiful and heals me from within.