The Heart of a Pearl

The Heart of a Pearl

 

At the heart of each pearl lies some kind of "seed" that started the pearl. A pearl cannot exist without having first had a seed. Why? The reason is this: the pearl is a response to an intruder; an invader. Clams have no way to extract a piece of sand or a hungry parasite from their flesh. Imagine if a piece of dirt were to fly into your eye and you didn't have hands to rub the dirt away. That would totally irritate your eye!

Clams don't have hands, but they do make a substance called mother-of-pearl, or nacre ("nahk - err" or "nay - kehr").  Nacre is very smooth and a lot more comfortable than a rough grain of sand or a burrowing parasite. So the clam starts adding layer upon layer of nacre, trapping the irritant and forming a pearl. It takes years for a pearl to literally grow. And a pearl is not guaranteed to be spherical either. This is why pearls are highly prized as jewels: large and perfectly spherical pearls are hard to come by.

If we use the analogy that you are a clam with a hard outer shell and delicate insides, what are your Pearls? Your Pearls are the experiences you've learned from the trials you've overcome. Your Pearls are the wisdom you've gained from the lessons you've learned. Your Pearls are the hopes and dreams of doing better, becoming better, and living better - all around improvement - through your accumulated wisdom and experiences. Your Pearls are a testimony to Infinite Intelligence and to everyone around you that you've triumphed over the starfish who try to destroy you and your Pearls.

Every trial you overcome becomes a pearls - what once bothered you or bogged you down is smoothed over and a treasure for your keepsake. Remember your Pearls and they will help you fend off starfish. Ironically the starfish are usually the culprit behind the parasite or debris in your shell; they hope to see you crack open so they can devour your happiness and destroy your Pearls. Instead when you overcome the problem you create a Pearl.

What Pearls have you gained over the course of your life? What of my Pearls would you like me to share with you?