Moments… like an exquisite, glistening strand of pearls. We hold those lustrous pearls in our hand. All the while wondering at the unsurpassed beauty of them. The subtle glow upon the pearl’s surface is awe-inspiring. How did this happen? This perfect beauty of nature.
Moments have the beauty of a single pearl. That moment when your child impulsively explains, “I love you best in all the world.” Then there is the moment when your precious little one takes his first step. When your loved one encircles you in his arms and says, with tenderness, “You’re the best thing that has ever happened in my life” is another moment to be savored. Undoubtedly, the moment of joy when your beloved son returns safe from the horrors of war is of significant import, as well. These bits of time define our life. Moments that we enjoy to the fullest.
Moments that irritate
Then there are those irritating moments, when we hear, “Mom, she pushed me.” Your back is turned for just a moment and that’s when the little one dumps the dog’s water all over the kitchen floor. We have moments when the car won’t start or we are in the grocery story frantically checking our purse, our pocket, and the diaper bag for our much labored over grocery list and then in our mind’s eye we see it laying on the kitchen counter. A-r-r-gh.
Life is also made up of moments that we dread. That moment when we hear of a loved one’s death. As well as the moment when our job is terminated. A moment filled with the anguish of a broken relationship. In addition to the heartache in the moment when we are disillusioned by a friend. We look at these spaces of time and are tempted to despair. Especially when the beautiful moments are so few and far between.
pearls and moments
Now let’s step away from those moments and look again at those lustrous, shining pearls. God has placed within the making of the pearl a lesson that we must learn. As I researched the question of how a pearl is made, I was amazed by the composition of a single pearl.
It is only when some type of irritant enters the oyster that a pearl can be made. This irritant can be as small as a grain of sand or as microscopic as bacteria. When an irritant enters an oyster or a mussel the process begins. First, an adhesive called conchiolin is wrapped around the irritant. Next a substance called nacre is secreted in layers around the irritant. These layers are laid on in starts and stops, however, none of these layers fit together perfectly. The pattern obtained from these “hills and valleys” in the look of a pearl is part of its beauty. In fact these patterns are known as the pearl’s own fingerprint. As a result, each pearl is unique and different in it’s beauty.
The substance, nacre, is the mother-of-pearl. It is a crystalline substance that creates the iridescent effect we see that is attributed to the pearls. Furthermore, nacre is strong and resilient, as well as, lightweight and transparent. This extraordinary substance allows light to pass through its surface, which in turn creates that soft glow on the pearl’s exterior.
Moments that transform
Are you saying those irritating moments, those dreadful moments are used to make something beautiful? That just can’t be! Yet, we look at the pearl and know that if it wasn’t for the irritant, the pearl would not be in our hand in all its exquisite wonder.
The Father grants us each moments, whether they be wonderful, irritating or dreadful. Without a doubt, we must acknowledge that He is in charge. He knows what He is doing in our lives. Our God takes each of the moments of our life and turns them into something beautiful. His Spirit is the adhesive that woos us to Himself. God draws us ever closer as we allow that ‘Nacre’ of a pearl, to begin taking those irritating and dreadful moments and layering them throughout our lives. As we allow the light of God to pass through our soul we are able to accept the moments He grants us. Furthermore, we will begin to grow into the “beautiful pearl” that God has planned. The eternal beauty will be lasting because of the moments of time we surrender to the Father.
time versus eternity
Over the past few days, I have been thinking of the song sung by the Gaither’s. It goes something like this:
“We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch,as it slips through our fingers like sand. Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow may never come. But we have this moment today.”
Let us grasp the moments in our lives and find the beauty God has for us. We eagerly embrace those wonderful moments, but what about those irritating ones? Those moments that seem to upset our equilibrium and we long to crawl away from it all. Yesterday’s moments are gone. We are not guaranteed moments tomorrow but we do have this moment today. Consequently, let’s embrace each moment and take those moments that are full of despair and call out to our Heavenly Father. In the end, it is the irritants in the dreadful moments of life that will bring about eternal beauty to our souls
It is in moments alone with our Redeemer that we find strength to face the moments filled with dread and anguish. Then day by day we will begin to gain that soft glow of beauty and become a valuable treasure of the Heavenly Father for all eternity.
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