I was feeling let down, disappointed, upset … irritated to my core.
The situation was irritating myself and those who I love most (who may or may not know what it was that was causing the irritation) … and it was that, the irritation of those I love, that was really getting under my skin. I was full of why questions, and tempted to pick up the phone and take matters into my own hands.
and then someone did a devotion on pearls.
Pearls are my most favourite precious gems. I have more (faux) pearls than any other gem, stone or metal. I love that they can be worn with everything from the most formal of gowns to a pair of jeans. I love their uniform uniqueness. I love the gentle way they catch ones eye.
To me, pearls are the perfect gem.
But, their beauty did not come easily.
According to the American Museum of Natural History “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.”
So, I guess we could say that the oyster gets something irritating under it’s skin shell, and, rather than just fuming about it, the oyster takes that irritant and focuses it’s energies on converting the irritant into something … less irritating (and more beautiful).
Beauty from irritation …
We like to think that our lives are “blessed” if we are healthy and happy. Yet wisdom does not come from a life experience of “easy street”, it comes from the hard stuff, the tough stuff … a life’s experiences with irritants. It is that which makes us uncomfortable, saddened and heartbroken that polishes our sharp edges, that makes us beautiful in wisdom.
“the price of wisdom is above pearls.”
Job 28:18
itsawonderfilledlife 