A Necessary Irritant
Most people are fascinated by pearls. They are beautiful and can be found in all sorts of jewelry. I think
when the average person looks to buy a pearl; they do not give much thought to “where it came from”
(maybe like eating chicken or beef and not really thinking about what happened to the chicken or cow
to end up on their plate!). Pearls come in all shapes and sizes, and their expense can vary greatly. The
largest pearl ever found was one found by a Filipino diver in 1934. The pear has been priced at
$40,000,000. That’s right, that was not a typo. Though pearls generally stay within a certain range
weight-wise, the heaviest pearl was a whopping 14lbs (6.4kg). The origin of pearls, as most people know,
comes from the mollusk family. Oysters, clams and even mussels can produce pearls. But generally
speaking pearls are found in oysters. The oysters can be found in fresh and salt water. The process of an
oyster making a pearl is one that we need to be reminded of. As oysters begin to grow, their shells grow
too. Oysters use minerals (quoting here) from the food they eat to make special substance called nacre,
which they use to make their shells. Sometimes small bits of rock get in the oyster’s shell, especially if
the animal lives in rough waters, and this irritates the creature. The oyster’s reaction is to cover up the
grit with the same material it uses to build its shell-nacre. It builds up the nacre in layers to make a ball
around the grit, and the end result is a pearl.
Now for a pearl to be created, it requires two things – an irritant and time. You cannot have a pearl
without an irritant. And, you cannot have a pearl without time; it takes a period of time – sometimes a
long time – to create layers to form the pearl. I think you know where I am going with this; God uses the
same process in us to create us to be pearls (gems) for Christ. There is a fascinating verse in the Old
Testament book of Malachi. This verse shares with us that some believers can have a special place of
honor before God, and actually, can honor God in a special way. The verse is Malachi 3:17 and God says,
regarding those special believers, “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up
my jewels.” What an amazing thought! We can have a special place of honor – but more importantly, we
can bring God great honor by “adorning Him with beautiful jewels”! Pearls are not the only jewels that
will adorn Christ’s crown. The great Bible hero Job said; “He knows the way that I take; and when he has
tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10) The psalmist said that the crown on Christ’s head will
be “resplendent”. (Psalm 132:18) In other words, magnificent! What a thought to think, that we can
make up (figuratively speaking) the jewels in Christ’s glorious crown. There will undoubtedly be many
jewels in His crown, but get this, many crowns for His head! (Revelation 19:12)
So we have great potential, we have the possibility of making up the jewels in Christ’s crown. But those
jewels come at a price; after all, jewels are expensive. The price is the way and manner in which we are
made into these jewels. Like a pearl, we need an “irritant” to help us produce “pearl-like character”. And
what is an irritant for us? It can be anything that irritates us! Irritants usually come in the forms of trials
and difficulties. You may be experiencing one now. God sends – or allows – these trials to come into our
lives so that we have the great opportunity of being transformed into jewels for our king. The New
Testament is populated by the reminder that trials and difficulties are the norm for the believer (I Peter
4:12; I Thessalonians 3:3; Philippians 1:29; James 1:2 among many others). We can choose to respond to
these in a Christ-honoring way, and if we do, the “gem making” process is under way. But irritants alone
are not enough – we all have them. The difference comes when we choose to “wait patiently” for the
Lord during those times. When we choose not to flee or seek to abort the trial and difficulty God has
allowed to enter our lives, then the “pearl making process” is working. The primary word used in the
New Testament for “wait” or “be patient” is the Greek word hupomene, which in its’ primary meaning,
means to “stay under” or “remain”. It is hard, actually, humanly impossible, to stay patient during trials
and difficulties (irritants), but the result can be a precious Gem in our Savior’s crown. Friends, let me
leave you with this encouraging reminder; God knows how difficult it is! He really does, and not just
because He is all-knowing, but because He Himself has experienced it. In John’s book of Revelation he
concludes with a picture (first-hand experience) of the heavenly Jerusalem – the abode of God. The
descriptions are staggering, but he slips this statement in, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each
gate made of a single pearl.” (Revelation 21:21) Did you catch that! A single pearl! Where did that pearl
(symbolically) come from? It came from Christ’s great sufferings for us. His life, and His suffering and
death, produced the universe’s largest – and most costly – pearl. A huge gate, and not just one gate, but
twelve and each one made of one pearl! Everyday throughout eternity we will see those gates and
remember Christ’s great suffering for us. But just think, you and I can also make a statement for all of
eternity of our willingness to have been made “pearls in Christ crown.” Your trials and difficulties are not
purposeless; they are producing something – gems for Christ’s crown.