The Pearl
Author Unknown
As a jeweler by trade I'm always interested in the gemstones listed in the scriptures. As I was meditating on 'Matt 13' and the parable of the 'pearl of great price' I began to think of our Lord. Why did He come to claim a pearl? Why not a diamond?
Matt 13:45' "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls." 'Matt 13:46' "When he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it." In the parable of the merchant, we see that he sold all he had and bought the single pearl. It speaks to us of the tremendous price the Lord paid for our redemption. The God of glory, the King of Kings & Lord of Lords left the splendor of Heaven to claim a pearl, and gained the pearl through paying the price that was far more than any here could pay. As a jeweler I would question the choice the Lord made choosing to leave the Father's side for a pearl instead of what we would think of as having greater significance, the girl's best friend, the much coveted diamond. You probably know that the diamond is graded in 'value' according to the 4 C's: Cut, Color, Clarity & Carat-weight. The answer to my pondering was right there! The diamond receives a substantial portion of its value from the way a person cuts it. The work of man's hand! The only natural gemstone that has more value when it is found than when men finish with it is the PEARL. Like the pearl, men can add nothing to the value of out salvation, through Jesus Christ.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are we saved through faith; and that not of yourselves -- it is the gift of God -- 'Eph 2:9' Not of works, lest anyone should boast.
The pearl is formed when a foreign object somehow enters the inside of the oyster, and instead of ejecting the object or irritant out, as most humans would try to do, the object is covered by the oyster with layer upon layer of a substance secreted from its own body. The object that came into the life of the oyster as an irritant, instead of being cast out is turned into something lovely within the oyster. "We are all an irritant (through our sin) to God, but He accepts us, in spite of our sin. He covers our sin and brings us into His Holy kingdom.
Think about other details of the pearl. The longer the pearl stays in the oyster the more valuable it becomes. God is using our time now to conform us into a beautiful image of His dear Son. The pearl is formed in a Living Object! No dead rock is the pearl, it comes from life. The very life of the oyster is given to the pearl. The true value of the pearl is not seen from the outside. To the world around it the pearl is just another barnacle covered nasty looking shell....
To see the true beauty of the pearl the oyster must die. The oyster is ripped open with a knife in the side, before the true treasure is revealed. The analogy in the Pearl here is like Christ's death, so that all who trust in Him will be able to see and be with Him in His beautiful Kingdom, for eternity....
The PEARL also reminds me:
....All of God's creation: every bird, pretty flower, panoramic mountain vista, and even oysters, were given by God to show us things concerning Himself....
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"....John 3:16.
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