The Lost Pearl

 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15: 8-10

    When my mother turned sixteen, her parents had a ring made for her using a pearl that was brought back from Arabia by her Uncle Louis and Aunt Betty Dame, who were missionaries in that land. The story goes that, in appreciation for the school and hospital they'd established, the sheik paid them with jewels. Imagine my humble delight when my mom gifted me with that ring when I got married.

    The ring paired beautifully with my gold wedding band. As any new bride would do, I frequently glanced at my rings. Soon after I'd received the pearl ring, however, it was with great dismay that I saw an empty setting where the stone had been! Sometime that morning, it had fallen out. Immediately, I left work, called a friend for aid and combed my apartment. Did it wash down the drain? Was it lying in the parking lot? How would I explain this to my mother? That pearl was irreplaceable. 

    With rejoicing, we found the pearl amid the shag carpeting. I can still feel the thrill in my heart over that wee, white stone. Monetarily, it does not rank up there with the Hope Diamond, yet it was the story behind the pearl that I treasure and I still wear that ring today.

    The story behind my greatest treasure involves a cross and an empty tomb. Steeped in sin with my most righteous acts looking like filthy rags, my life was was like a hollow chocolate Easter rabbit. I'd broken each of the ten commandments; I was a selfish, vain liar, to be totally honest. How could I become clean? When all my earthly props gave way, God revealed Himself to me in the words of Romans chapter eight. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God...And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ...If God is for us, who can be against us?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (excerpts from Romans 8)

    True riches can only be found by knowing "the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:3) If you are lost, seek Jesus. He's irreplaceable.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13