The Real Thing

Pearls were one of the first gems to be worn by man. The Chinese referto them in ancient writings as the soul of the oyster. In Biblical timesand today, pearls are a status symbol of the elite. So precious are pearlsthat John writes in Revelation 21, the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven,the dwelling place throughout eternity for all of the saints, will have 12gates each made of a single pearl. So where do pearls come from?

Pearls come from oysters, mussels, and clams from both freshwater and saltwater. The pearl itself actually begins as an irritant. Sand, a pebble, or a pesky parasitic organism gets inside the oyster's shell. To reducethe irritation, the oyster coats the intruder with layers of a solid, slick material called nacre. The nacre is composed of two components: aragonite and a glue-like substance called conchiolin which cements the layers together. Natural pearls ofhigh quality are rare and in the past divers would risk their lives divingfor them.

Since fake pearls and true pearls look alike, how can you tell the difference? If you put a real pearl in your mouth and slosh it softlyacross your teeth and it feels totally smooth - its a fake! The real thing feels slightly gritty, slightly imperfect.

Our imperfect souls, after an encounter with Christ, are covered by HIS blood layer by layer and are made white and pure in God's eyes like precious pearls. Our slightly gritty nature, our imperfection is made whole andpure, precious and priceless through Jesus. From the outside we may look no different than anyone else, but GOD knows the REAL thing from a fake.

?Jennifer Wheeler