Pearls are among the oldest and most universal of all gems. They are the oldest jewels known to man, and the only gem made by a living animal. The oldest surviving pearl necklace is nearly 2000 years old and was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian Princess. Pearls were worn in civilized Middle East and Asian societies as early as 3500 BC., and continued to grow in popularity during Roman times when pearl fever reached its peak. Pearls found a place in Julius Caesar's heart, and Cleopatra dissolved a pearl in wine and drank it to prove her love to Marc (Antony) Antonius. The early 1900s saw trade affected by a supply shortage and the appearance of cultured pearls on the market. Cultured pearls were not accepted immediately; it took several years for consumers and the industry to accept this new kind of pearl.
Pearls, and I'm talking about natural pearls here, exhibit some weight. Natural pearls are ‘organic’ gems, i.e. gems created by a living creature. NACRE (pronounced na-cur and the same substance that lines the inside of the oyster shell) produced by the oyster begins to cover whatever foreign object enters into the mussel's environment in an effort to make it smooth and less irritating to the sensitive tissue of the mussel. This process continues over many years to produce a pearl of PURE NACRE. The larger the pearl, the more dense it becomes. This layer of nacre can be affected by any act of nature such as predator attack, disease, disturbances in the ocean floor such as earthquakes, etc. and can affect the creation of the pearl. Lustre and surface imperfections play a huge role in the 'grading' of a pearl, and are directly affected by such attacks, disease, and other factors that might cause stress to the mussel.
As with all gems, the more perfect, the more valuable.
In Matthew 13:45-46 Jesus tells the disciples (and us) what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.
"45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it”. (NIV)
Likely this merchant would have found a pearl that was large, heavy, free from blemish and possessed great lustre. Those attributes describe heaven too, a place without boundaries, dense (completely filled) with the Spirit of God, totally free from impurity or imperfection, with the lustre (shine) of the Glory of God. I just love how Jesus has provided something like the pearl, that if examined closely with some attention to deeper things than its’ mere beauty, gives us a picture of heaven and our future with Him.
What's At The Core
Pearls, and I'm talking about natural pearls here, exhibit some weight. Natural pearls are ‘organic’ gems, i.e. gems created by a living creature. NACRE (pronounced na-cur and the same substance that lines the inside of the oyster shell) produced by the oyster begins to cover whatever foreign object enters into the mussel's environment in an effort to make it smooth and less irritating to the sensitive tissue of the mussel. This process continues over many years to produce a pearl of PURE NACRE. The larger the pearl, the more dense it becomes. This layer of nacre can be affected by any act of nature such as predator attack, disease, disturbances in the ocean floor such as earthquakes, etc. and can affect the creation of the pearl. Lustre and surface imperfections play a huge role in the 'grading' of a pearl, and are directly affected by such attacks, disease, and other factors that might cause stress to the mussel.
As with all gems, the more perfect, the more valuable.
In Matthew 13:45-46 Jesus tells the disciples (and us) what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.
"45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it”. (NIV)
Likely this merchant would have found a pearl that was large, heavy, free from blemish and possessed great lustre. Those attributes describe heaven too, a place without boundaries, dense (completely filled) with the Spirit of God, totally free from impurity or imperfection, with the lustre (shine) of the Glory of God. I just love how Jesus has provided something like the pearl, that if examined closely with some attention to deeper things than its’ mere beauty, gives us a picture of heaven and our future with Him.
What's At The Core
As is often the case though, satan came along and perverted (by imitation) God's perfect creation...now I'm talking about cultured pearls. Cultured pearls are created when man inserts a piece of spherical oyster shell into the oyster mussel. The mussel then covers this light-weight “seed" (often as much as half the diameter of the desired finished product) with nacre to make it smooth and less irritating, and after only a few seasons the 'cultured' pearl is ready to harvest. It is in essence, a counterfeit to the natural. I have in my own mind likened this to deceivers and false teachers, who might present something that looks like the real thing, but at it's core....is not. As I mentioned about the weight, a true natural pearl can be distinguished from a cultured pearl by putting them on a digital scale. Given the same diameter, the natural pearl will weigh more than a cultured pearl, even if everything else is perfect. They look the same, but the natural possesses more gravity......just like real gospel when compared to false doctrine. Natural pearls can also be verified by modern x-ray technology. This is still only a way of determining what exactly is at the core. It’s what’s at the core that determines what is real from what is not. Now look….I’m not saying that cultured pearls are evil, I’m just making illustrations… no cards or letters please.
One day people will be (in a sense) 'weighed', or examined to determine what is at their core. I want my core to be Jesus...the real deal. The story of the merchant re-enforces the idea that we should be willing to sacrifice anything to possess the Kingdom of God....as in fact we begin to do when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and die to self, sacrificing our own mortal life for eternal life in Jesus Christ….to give up all that we are to attain all that He is.
One day people will be (in a sense) 'weighed', or examined to determine what is at their core. I want my core to be Jesus...the real deal. The story of the merchant re-enforces the idea that we should be willing to sacrifice anything to possess the Kingdom of God....as in fact we begin to do when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and die to self, sacrificing our own mortal life for eternal life in Jesus Christ….to give up all that we are to attain all that He is.
NEXT POST: Alexandrite and Our Never-Changing God
Great post, Jay. Really enjoyed it.
ReplyDelete