From Deborah J. Birdoes' extraordinary Inspirational Blessings™ Collection of Jewelry.
Poem: JOURNEY OF PERFECTION
An oyster is a means that God uses to produce a pearl of beauty.The journey it goes through is quite painful. Even though the oyster has a very hard shell that protects them, something like a small grain of sand can get inside the shell which causes a lot of pain and discomfort for the oyster. God has given the oyster a way to ease that pain. When a grain of sand gets in there, the oyster oozes out a liquid that coats the grain of sand and then it hardens. The oyster keeps doing this over and over until the grain of sand no longer causes pain. This is how these pearls are made. Something that started out being painful turned into something very beautiful and valuable.
This can be compared to the journey of our life. We, too go through pain and discomfort in our lives by the constant rubbing of trials. But just like the pearl, if we stay on the course, our lives can be transformed by His grace into a pearl of beauty that is valuable to Him, to us and to others.
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Romans 5: 3-5 (NIV)
In wonder I lay at His feet, My life a pearl He will complete. Tom Best
