Pearls are most commonly found in oysters, but, occasionally, 1 out of every 12,000 clams contains a pearl.
Growing up close to the beach and an oyster hub (shout out to Eastpoint, FL), I learned very early how pearls are formed. A single grain of sand gets into the shell and irritates the muscle so it costs it with a smooth translucent substance that hardens. It’s an effort to make the presence of the sand more palatable. But the longer the sand is in there (which is until a person opens the shell and takes it out…) the larger the pearl gets. Layer by layer, larger and larger.
I spent a sabbath the other day, just enjoying the Trinity. We were in my imagination and just playing. Jesus and I were watercolor paining in our field, sitting cross legged and dabbing each other’s nose with liquid paint and laughing. We painted clams. I was just thinking that was so random when the Holy Spirit sat down in front of us and said it’s a panting of healing.
“Clams are healing?”
“They represent the process of healing. You’ve been looking at it as an onion. Something you peel layers off of until it disappears. But your story will never disappear. Pain is like the grain of sand that slips inside the clam. When it affects your life, you add another layer of translucent beauty when you heal. It’s what creates your testimony. Your testimony is the pearl of wisdom that you offer the world.”
The words sink deep into my heart.
Pain isn’t bad. Happiness isn’t good. Emotions aren’t something that need to be labeled as good and bad, just as we don’t need to identify as good or bad. Every emotion has a purpose! Every one. They help us figure out where we are in the moment. They point us to lean on God for where we need to go.
Every “bad” emotion I’ve had has led me to an amazing encounter with God. Every “good” emotion I’ve had has led me deeper into God’s presence.
Every emotion has a purpose and a place in the layers of the pearl that is my testimony.
