Making Pearls
I own a pearl necklace. It isn’t fancy, just a few pink pearls separated by stretches of chain, but I treasure it. When I wear it, I think about what pearls are and how they are made. It has special significance to me.
Unlike most gems, pearls are created by living organisms, usually oysters, and when the lustrous orbs are removed from their shells, they are gorgeous. They do not need to be cut or polished. But pearls are more than fashion accessories; they have a fascinating story of transformation.
When an irritant gets into their shell and they can't remove it, oysters coat the unwanted intruder with layer upon layer of a strong, beautiful substance that they produce from within themselves. When faced with a circumstance they can’t change, they literally transform the problem into a precious gem.
When I was 15, I was diagnosed with a health condition that altered the course of my life and continues to severely impact it. For years, I tried everything imaginable to get better. It became a quest, almost an obsession. I was determined to find healing. I was always certain the next thing I tried would be the missing piece, but the issue remained. I finally came to a point where instead of fighting for a magic cure, I learned to embrace the beautiful things in the limitations. I learned to make pearls.
The lesson was difficult. There are many circumstances in life that we can and should change. But sometimes, as much as we want a different outcome, what we have is what we get. It may be a diagnosis, a loss, a death, or some other circumstance that cannot be altered. At that point, life is what we make of it. And what do we make? That is our choice. We have what we need deep inside of us to form pearls, but the decision to make them is our own.
I find it interesting that the most valuable of all the pearls are those made naturally. Most pearls are cultured. This happens when an irritant is deliberately placed in an oyster shell in order to grow a pearl. We can do the same, and purposely place challenges in our lives in a planned and reproducible manner to help us develop. But when outside forces make the decision for us, the naturally formed pearls are the most precious of all.
Helen Keller, a champion of overcoming inescapable obstacles, noted: "Character cannot be developed in easy and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
Trials are never easy, but it can be a joy to look back over our lives and say, "I turned tragedy into treasure. I brought beauty out of pain. I left my life more lovely than I found it. Look at my string of pearls!"
Reference: The Pearl Story. Jewelry Television. April 10, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5yi3q4SVgI
Challenges/Points:
Oysters take unwanted foreign objects that get under their shells and transform them into precious objects.
There are some situations in life that we are unable to alter, and we must choose how to respond.
When we decide to transform the situations, we can turn them into valuable lessons.
Questions:
Can you think of some unwanted thing in your life that you simply cannot change?
Are there ways you can begin to turn the trial into something beautiful?
Have you discussed the situation with a trusted friend or someone who came through a similar trial?
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