Pearls have been a symbol of elegance and class for decades. The most expensive pearl ever sold was the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette’s part diamond-studded pearl pendant. It sold for over $30 Million Dollars in an auction.
A Filipino fisherman found a pearl inside a giant clam measuring 26” long 12” wide and weighs nearly 75 pounds. Its value is $100 Million Dollars.
Not all pearls are that expensive, some can even be bought in single digit dollar amount. Quality, size, shape, color, fake, cultured, and natural all play a factor to the price and in Marie Antoinette’s case historical significance added value to her piece of jewelry.
Pearls are formed inside a bivalve mollusk, meaning it has a hinged shell like a scallop, mussel, clam, or oyster. When an irritant such as a parasite, a grain of sand or some form of debris works its way into the fragile body of a mollusk that can’t be flushed out, the mollusk releases a fluid substance called Mother-of-Pearls or Nacre around the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant year after year until a lustrous pearl is formed. If the irritant would be left unattended the mollusk would be sure to die after a short time.
The Filipino’s pearl had multiple irritants over several years which is the reason for the size and shape and in turn became a very valuable piece! This pearl, naturally formed was the only object that survived the fisherman’s house fire without marring the value!
Our Heavenly Father provided a protection for our hurts in life just as He did for the irritants in a mollusk. Our form of protection is choosing to forgive those who have hurt us and asking Jesus to heal the pain.
Sometimes the pain is so intense that we need to choose to forgive minute by minute, as each choice of forgiveness is extended, it brings a layer of healing to the pain. Thus, a pearl has begun! As time goes on you will be reminded of the pain again, and please dear friend choose to forgive again! This can be a wearisome repetitious battle especially if you didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t give up! It will be worth it! It is so precious when you can think of the painful event and love the person with all your heart! It may take months or in some cases years to get to that point. However, it is possible and indeed a pearl of great value! Nelson and I are married 23 years and at one point and time my biggest pain was not having any children. The longing to hold a precious little baby, the longing to see Nelson walking hand in hand with a son. The many questions: would our child have blonde hair and blue eyes and be left-handed just like their daddy? Many tears were shed as the days and weeks and years went by.
I didn’t want to struggle like this, I wanted to be ok to not have any children. It felt like the prayers didn’t reach the throne of God. Time went on, then one day we sat in an office at Freedom Hills with a counselor. The pain was so intense I honestly thought I might die. For the next few hours, we talked, asked questions and cried to Jesus in prayer. At the closing of that prayer time, there was a peace in my heart that I had never felt before. I knew it was ok that we don’t have any children. A pearl had begun to form.
A month later the pain of not having any children came flooding back, knocking me into despair. With tears running down my cheeks I prayed, “God you healed my heart once, can you heal it again?” He did! As life went on, I continually struggled the next few years, in turn I continually asked, “Jesus can you heal my heart again?” He did every time!
Hundreds of layers of healing have covered that wound. Thank you, Jesus!! The wound that had been my biggest pain at one time no longer hurts. It is a pearl of peace that is available only by the grace of our Heavenly Father.
Rejoicing in the pearls of life,
Nelson & Betty Yoder
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