How pearls are made.

“Pearls are made when a foreign object becomes caught inside of an oyster. The object wounds the oyster. The wound is enclosed and inescapable. In reaction to the wound, the oyster releases a substance called nacre that coats the intruding object. As thousands of layers of nacre coat the object, a pearl is formed. It takes seven to eight years—an oyster’s full lifespan—to form a pearl. Pearls are created by irritation.

You and I will face painful situations in life that are inescapable. They intrude upon us without invitation. We cannot run from them. They box us in. They are part of living in this fallen world. But they are also orchestrated by a sovereign God. For what reason? To work pearl into us.

At such times, we can either let the Lord Jesus turn our painful experience into a pearl, or we can become embittered and blame others, including God. In the latter case, the wound never heals. As Hebrews says, bitterness will spring up within you and defile many (12:15).

Allowing yourself to become bitter is like drinking poison and waiting for the person who hurt you to get sick. More Christians have been destroyed by bitterness than probably any other thing in existence.
On the contrary, those Christians who have allowed the Lord to work pearl into them, without becoming embittered, are precious in the kingdom of God. They emit the fragrance and beauty of Jesus Christ.”

Frank Viola, From Eternity to Here, 215-216

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Pure devotion to the Lord Jesus is a life of faith. With quiet confidence this kind of believer has given up all his rights to follow the Lord in all circumstances of life. They rest in the wonderful assurance that their Heavenly Father is in charge of all that comes to them, and that He intends to use it to further transform them to be beautiful in character like the Lord Jesus. Every painful experience is opportunity to know the Lord Jesus better.



I read the above on Jerry White's blog, A Disciples Notebook, and asked him if I could share the quote and his thoughts with you.

Jerry has been a pastor, conference / retreat speaker, and author. His 49 plus year ministry has taken him across the United States and into foreign countries.

He resides in Denham Springs, Louisiana (near Baton Rouge) with his wife of nearly 50 years. They have a married daughter, a married son and seven grandchildren.

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 6:12 AM