Growing Pearls in Unlikely Places.”
To the one who feels unseen, unmotivated, and plain ol’ tired…
I was researching natural pearls today and how they are formed and I learned a few things:
The start of the pearl-making process begins by a parasite entering the oyster. Something that’s entering with the intention of harming turns out to be the exact thing the oyster needs to create something beautiful.
A pearl is essentially the scar tissue of an oyster. This means scars are a tremendous treasure to behold, just ask Jesus.
The longer it’s hidden in the shell, the larger the pearl grows, increasing its value. Don’t translate being hidden for being worth less.
Only 1 in every 10,000 oysters are able to naturally produce a natural saltwater pearl because the external environment has disturbed the ecosystem so much. Society wants you to hustle, Heaven wants you to slow down and breathe.
Once a pearl has been produced, before it goes to market it has to be cleaned by an expert and then pierced with a hole so it can be strung onto jewelry. Sometimes we feel ready for the world to see what’s been hidden for so long but the Lord whispers “I’m not done yet.”
Pearls are the only gemstone produced from a living creature and no pearl is the same as another. There is tangible fruit from you being you.
Maybe hiddenness is holiness. And maybe when we are unmotivated it’s a moment to thank our feelings for not being our master. And maybe when we are a little tired it’s an invitation to pump the brakes and take a nap because life is not a race and gemstones are made slowly and at the end of the day the pearl of our lives is the level of devotion & surrender we offer up to our sweet Jesus.
And since feels don’t dictate devotion, when the experience of unseenness consumes us and the lack of motivation exhausts us, let us be a people that whisper to Him, “I don’t need to feel you to know you are there. Govern a faith in me to know pearls are growing in the most unlikely of places.”