Today like many days before I stood at the brim of the ocean amazed at its secrets. We watch dolphins dance through waves and seagulls spiral into them. Suddenly, my dad scooped something small out of the sand and handed it to me. “Here, it’s an oyster shell. Open it—does it have a pearl!?” I turned the opal shell over in fingers a few times and looked–“No pearl.” “Shucks,” he said. “Maybe next time.” Peals are of great value, aren’t they? Not necessarily something you’re lucky to scoop out of the grey tide without a search. I learned once a long time ago that pearls are formed through trial. Something unexpected seeps in–the oyster fights back, layer upon layer. It’s defenses persevere and produce something beautiful, through the process was painful. Again, I’m reminded how God flips the world upside down, reassuring all things that happen to us happens for us: “We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trails, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment”. (Rom.5:3-5).
AnneRyanDempsey