Recently at school, one of my reading groups and I were previewing a book about oysters. Some were grossed out at the thought of eating a raw one. A few students knew that pearls came from oysters, but all were amazed at how they were formed.
The Very Idea
Like really, what in the world made God think of such an incredible idea. Okay, He is God, so I won’t put too much thought into how He came up with the process, but seriously, I find it very cool. According to pearls.com, pearls usually form when some parasite works itself into the oyster, or other shelled sea creature. Out of defense, the oyster produces a fluid to coat the invader. For the next six months to seven years, the coating process continues as it forms this valuable beauty.
Life’s Parasites
In everyone’s life, we face little pesty situations. We also face more serious circumstances where we have either allowed irritants into our lives or Satan weasels his way into our lives, acting like a parasite. When these nasty things enter our bodies, it makes us feel bad, cause us to get sick, or even worse.
Transformation to a Pearl
How cool is it that God allows the parasite in an oyster to transform into such a beautiful gem! Isn’t that the way God wants it for us? He desires for us to bring the “parasites of our lives” to Him in prayer. He wants to protect us when we are vulnerable and need to shut out the harshness of the world around us. Like the physical forming of a pearl, our trials can last for what seems to be a lengthy time span. But we can rest in His arms, knowing He is our defender.
When we turn inward to God and bask in His word and wisdom, He can slowly soften the sting of our hurst and sorrows. As time passes and we continue to allow Him to be our fortress, He makes us stronger. If we persist, remaining in His glow, He will totally transform our parasites into pearls.
Transformation of Pearl after Pearl
We should strive always to stay in a daily walk with God. Thus, each time we encounter life’s leeches we don’t have travel great distances to find our Defender. Trial after trial, we have the opportunity to transform what Satan meant as destruction into pearl after pearl after pearl.
Alone these gems are magnificent, but when strung together into a necklace, it can represent strength, grace, and wealth. When Satan strived to tear you into a million pieces, God rebuilds you with surpassing strength. For when the world tried to make you bitter, God grants us grace for others. As ones around you tried to trapped you in poverty, the King of Kings provides you with wealth.
As you adorn yourself with the strand of pearls that God has tailored specifically for you, He will allow you to be His witness sharing your pearls with others who need His encouragement.
“God intentionally allows you to go through painful experiences to equip you for ministry to others.” -Rick Warren