Gemstones must be cut and polished to bring out their beauty. But pearls don’t need any treatment to reveal their loveliness. They are born from oysters complete.

A natural pearl begins its life as a foreign object, such as sand or a piece of shell, that gets lodged into an oyster's soft inner body where it cannot get out. To protect itself, the oyster begins to cover the irritant, layer upon layer, with a smooth, hard crystalline substance, called “nacre,” as long as the irritant remains within its body.

The result, ultimately, is the beautiful gem called a pearl.  You are one of God’s wondrous, priceless pearls.  God sees your hardships and the powerful layers of protection around you.  He wants you to emerge from your shell as you are and live the beautiful life He created you to live.

Regarding the Parable of the Pearl above, some say Jesus is the fine pearl and once we find him we are willing to sell everything to be with him. Some say we are the pearls and Jesus is the merchant who gave all he had for us. Either way, the truth is that: