For some reason I got thinking about pearls on my way to work this morning.  I think that God places what might seem like random thoughts into our heads to direct us to something He wants us to ponder.  I guess this morning that was pearls.

So how is a pearl made? A pearl is typically generated within an oyster but on rare occasions it can also take form from within clams and mussels.  An oyster has two halves or valves.  The valves are connected by an elastic ligament.  For the most part the oysters’ valves are open so that it can eat.  The oyster has an organ known as a mantle that develops into its shell.  The inside of the shell is lined by a substance known as nacre.

When a foreign object gets lodged in between the mantle and the shell it causes an irritation.  To combat the irritation, which I guess could be compared to a sliver or splinter in your finger, the mantle then begins to cover the foreign object with the same substance that makes up the shell, the nacre.  After years of being covered with nacre a pearl develops.

So what does this have to do with anything?  As I got thinking about the pearl and this irritant that develops within it, I began thinking about our lives in Christ.  Man was created perfect but when Adam sinned, we all inherited his sinful nature.  That sinful nature is like an irritant, a foreign substance that is contrary to the ways of God.

But God can begin covering us just like the oyster covers the irritant lodged inside of it.  That irritant must be uncomfortable for the oyster and that is why it begins its work.  The work God does in us can also be uncomfortable but we know that if we are steadfast, He will create something beautiful out of our broken lives.

The Bible says this about the trials that cover us:  “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” I Peter 5:10

James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Romans 8:18 blesses us with these words, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

And one of my favorite passages is Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Our trials and tribulations can also feel like irritants to us, but as Romans 5 tells us they begin to cover us with amazing beauty.  First those sufferings cover us with the beauty of perseverance, then the beauty of fine character, and finally they give us great hope.  And that hope assures us that we now stand before God in His grace being made righteous!

That irritant known as sin can be covered by God’s love over and over again.  That irritant known as suffering can teach us about God’s love, His grace, and His compassion.  Until one day we emerge as a beautiful pearl.  As we continue in our journey with the Lord, if we follow Him and let him cover those irritants in our lives, we become more and more beautiful until on that final day, we will be not just any pearl but a perfect pearl!  I like that thought!  But for now, I am just going to let God work on the irritants in my life so that I can become a more glorious pearl each day.