Scripture: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it; (Matt. 13:45-46 KJV).
The idiom, “The world is your oyster,” means that you have the ability and the freedom to do anything and go anywhere you want. But, for a pearl “the oyster is its world.”
The Composition of a Pearl
According to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), contrary to popular belief, pearls hardly ever result from the intrusion of a grain of sand into an oyster’s shell. Instead, a pearl forms when an irritant such as a wayward food particle becomes trapped in the mollusk. The animal senses the object and coats it with layers of aragonite (ah-RAG-uh-nite) and conchiolin (KON-kee-uh-lin). These two materials are the same substances the animal uses to build its shell.
In most pearls, the material aragonite is arranged in sheets of flat, six-sided crystals. Between each sheet, the mollusk secretes a very thin layer of the membrane-forming protein conchiolin. This composite material is called nacre (NAY-ker), also referred to as mother-of-pearl. The crystalline structure of nacre reflects light in a unique way, giving so-called nacreous pearls their high luster. In contrast, some pearls are not nacreous and instead have a low-luster, porcelain-like surface.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; (v. 45).
In “The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl”, the merchant is in search of a “goodly pearl.” He is not seeking just any kind of pearls, he’s seeking “goodly pearls” meaning pearls with ecstatic beauty. These pearls are of exquisite quality that suits his purpose. After the pearl is found lodged within the flesh of the mollusk (oyster), the only way to remove the flesh from around the pearl is to wash it. After the flesh has been washed away from the pearl, the pearl is placed into boiling water to brings out its luster. The higher the luster the more valuable the pearl. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but there are many other shapes that occur making each pearl unique.
We Are Valuable To God
This parable helps us to understand our own uniqueness and our value in God’s Kingdom. Before we were born God knew us. We are the Master’s workmanship, created in His image and His likeness; (Gen. 1:26-27). We each are sealed with the Master Designer’s personal finger print as a stamp of approval. God imprinted every individual with a different set of finger prints specifically designed for them. There isn’t another set of finger prints throughout the entire world that matches yours. Identical twins don’t even have the same finger prints. This is why God declared that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. There aren’t any duplicates, you are the Masters original design of you!
God loves us so much that He even thought to number every single strand of hair on our head. The moment we were conceived in our mother’s womb God watched over us. In the same sense, a natural pearl is naturally formed, therefore, no man can take credit for it because it isn’t man made. In fact, God breathed, “the breath of life” into Adam; (Gen. 2:7). God is the Author and the Finisher, the Beginning and the End of all things pertaining to life.
“QUALITIES TO CONSIDER WHEN SEEKING GOODLY PEARLS”
- Habitat: An Oyster
- Created: Out of Irritation
- Indwelling Presence: Particle
- Cutting Away: From the Flesh
- Washed by: Water
- Cleansed by: Boiling Water
- Characteristics: Light, Luster
- Identity: Flaws
- Tested by: Boiling Water
- Proven by: Its Luster
- Purchase Price: All that he had
Children of God
- Habitat: The World
- Created: Renewed in Spirit
- Indwelling Presence: Holy Spirit
- Cutting Away: Crucify the Flesh
- Washed by: Water of the Word
- Cleansed by: The Blood
- Characteristics: Light, Fruit
- Identity: Marked and Sealed
- Tested by: Fire
- Proven by: The Fruit of the Spirit
- Purchase Price: The Blood of Jesus
The Moral of the Parable
In case you have not discovered who the key players are in the parable, the merchant is Jesus. God sent Jesus to seek out “goodly pearls.” The goodly pearls are metaphors used to describe the children of God. After the merchant found one goodly pearl he sold everything he had and bought it. Likewise, God sent Jesus to redeem sinful mankind from sins penalty of death. The Bible says, “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us; (Romans 5:8). In doing so God proved just how valuable we are to Him. He sent His only begotten Son to die on the Cross on Calvary.
Being made in the image and the likeness of God means that spiritually we are like God, Who is a Spirit. As spiritual beings we are able to commune with God. He fashioned us for a specific purpose; He desires that we have a personal relationship with Him. The only way to the Father is through the Son; (John 14:6). Jesus is the only acceptable sacrifice provided for mankind for the forgiveness of sin. If you haven’t received God’s invitation to receive eternal salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the invitation is still open. Make Jesus the Lord of your life today! Your decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior makes you very valuable to God’s Kingdom. God wants you to be one of His “goodly pearls.”
Source References: 1. American Museum of Natural History / Visit: http://www.amnh.org for further information pertaining to “What are Pearls and How Pearls are Formed”; 2. Idiom.thefreedictionary.com
Picture References: 1. Luster Quality, High to Low, by desjewelers.com; 2. A pearl being extracted from an akoya pearl oyster, Wikipedia.com