The Rest of the Story...The Beautiful Truth Part II

Last time I wrote about when God told me I am beautiful. Today I would like to tell the rest of the story.

The beginning of May I visited a friend who was having a jewelry party to support missions to the Philippines. There was a table filled with beautiful jewels of different colors and sizes. Mother’s day was approaching so I tried to find something for my mom or mother-in-law but couldn’t find anything in my price range I thought they would like. So I decided on a simple ring for myself. I immediately began to feel guilty for spending money selfishly. I even tried the “it was for a good cause” justification but it wasn’t working…we had gifts we needed to buy with that money.

A few days later, as I continued to beat myself up, God spoke to my heart. “This is my gift to you,” He said. “Look, it’s a pearl, it will be a reminder to you that I am making something beautiful.” He asked me “How is a pearl made?” And I began to see…A pearl, a beautiful, precious jewel is made in the goo and grime of an oyster tossed around in the waves of the ocean. Out of the storm, the slime and grit, God makes something beautiful. This is what God was telling me about my life. There are storms and messes but He works together ALL THINGS for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose Romans 8:28. He makes the mess beautiful. This reminds me of Jonah…I have a Jonah story, but that’s for another time. So this beautiful ring has been a reminder of God’s work, a call to trust Him that He is making a beautiful life out of my mess.

Recently, I decided to search online God’s original question to me, “How is a pearl made?” This is what I found:

The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle (a fleshy layer of tissue folded into three distinct layers) and the shell, which irritate­s the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The man­tle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl. 

The cultured pearl forms because someone inserts both a piece of mantle from a sacrifice oyster (so named because this oyster is allowed to die after the tissue samples are taken) and a nucleus (which is most often a mother-of-pearl bead) are inserted into the oyster.

Regardless of the method used to acquire a pearl, the process usually takes several years. Oysters must reach a mature age, which can take up to 3 years, and then be implanted or naturally receive an irritant. Once the irritant is in place, it can take up to another 3 years for the pearl to reach its full size. Often, the irritant may be rejected, the pearl will be terrifically misshapen, or the oyster may simply die from disease or countless other complications. By the end of a 5 to 10 year cycle, only 50% of the oysters will have survived, many will produce nothing or die. And of the pearls produced, only approximately 5% are of substantial quality for top jewelry makers.

Wow! There is a lot God is telling me here. I will leave most of that between me and God and let Him speak to you what He wants. Overall, I hear Him saying to me that He desires to create in me a top quality jewel of great beauty but I have a choice. I can reject the “irritant” of my sacrificial Lord in my life and in turn be misshapen or actually kill the person He made me to be. Or I can yield and humbly accept His work, His life, into mine and allow Him to make something beautiful. By the power of the Holy Spirit I pray I continually choose to allow Him to have His way in me. (Listen to this)

 Here's hope...even if we've rejected Him and we are all battered and misshapen, when we yield to the Master Jeweler, wherever we are on the journey, He can make something beautiful. And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Revelation 21:5