The Gospel of Matthew (13:46) tells us that ..."Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." Why is that? Why would the Kingdom of Heaven be like a priceless and perfect pearl? Why would God have Matthew record the words of our Lord Jesus if it wasn't true? It must be true. I think of Heaven all the time, but I really never think of it in terms of the priceless pearl except to think or say that there is nothing like it. Nothing can compare to it. There is nothing we can do to earn it, and we certainly couldn't sell off all of our property to gain access to it. I think what the Gospel is saying (and it's just my opinion) is that Heaven is the Kingdom of God, and we will be there, we will enjoy it, we will be like that pearl; which is to say to God we are valuable.
I found a pearl too. It's not the same thing as saying I found the secret to success, or that I found the fountain of youth. It's not to say that I found the best trade in the market and it's going to make me so rich that I could do anything I want from now on; it is only to say that I believe I have found something worth a great deal more than what others may think it is worth. I think of it, well, him, and I know I could never have him, own him, or call him mine, but I found him… the pearl. It (he) was right out in the open too. Everyone else sees it, they may think like I do; I don't know. What I know is I am thrilled to the core that God has shown me that He makes things that others find to be ordinary, and He calls them wonderful.
Do you know how a pearl is made? When the merchant in Matthew found the pearl described, he wasn't in the sea fishing for oysters, he was more than likely at the market place and there the pearl was on display. Perhaps the owner of the pearl was unaware of the enormous value of the piece of overworked dirt that was in his possession. Perhaps the owner didn't have an eye for such grace, such beauty, such worthiness; perhaps the pearl wasn't glittering or even shiny? Perhaps the merchant saw through the sediment and the nacre (the lining of the shell by which a foreign object, usually a mineral or particle is made into a solid and ornate pearl) to see the true shape of what appeared to be something too fantastic to leave. He would have never forgiven himself if he had not given his utmost to obtain it.
An oyster literally lives under dirty sea water in the silt and filth. An oyster is alive with a brain, a heart, sinew. It has pieces and parts and its abductor, stomach muscles, and lining of the animal inside of the shell produces a solid matter just from trying to fight off the intruding mineral that has crept in somehow through the tight tight closing of the shelly encasement. It's a miracle really, not like birth exactly, but by nature - - by God. I wonder who the first person to discover that oysters made pearls was, and if that person realized that they were in deed worth keeping or holding onto if only to gaze upon their refinement. Certainly someone had to begin collecting them, cleaning them, sizing them, measuring them, deciding which ones were worth trading and which ones were worth savoring. Who makes these decisions? We do.
We see things that attract us in some way or another, and we decide that they are worth holding onto, helping, being with, assisting, being connected to, or just observing. We decide these things for ourselves, perhaps with the help of others at times, but sometimes we just know when something or someone is worth giving a bit more effort. Others may stare blankly at us and think we've gone off our rockers, that we can't possibly know what value is or what good must be. Still, in our soul and in our way we think we're right and we give our attention to whatever it is that we find exemplary. It is what it is, and we are who we are. Diversity is good.
Think about it: a pearl was first useless to most, just a little piece of dirt really. Because it made its way into a form of shelter to get away from the increasingly unpredictable surroundings, it was attacked again by the very creature it sought refuge with, and through time and pressure, suffering and God's divine intervention, that piece of muck developed into something astonishing; but not overnight. It also didn't suddenly appear nice and shiny, round, and perfect either. After the pearl is found it goes through another entire process to become the great jewel of the sea that it is -- life is like that. One stage after another, and often times the best things are never even discovered by man, but only known to God. God sees it all. Nothing goes unnoticed really.
I found a pearl. I won't sell everything to obtain it. I won't show it off to the world because it isn't mine to show but I will thank God every single day for the opportunity to know I know what I know and I hope the world sees what I see too. Some do.
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