Pearl

I found this while going through some old stuff. It still hits hard for me and I thought I would share it with you:

"Seasons of life" - Charles Swindoll

"Pearls are the product of pain. For some unknown reason, the shell of the oyster gets pierced and an alien substance- a grain of sand slips inside. On the entry of that foreign irritant, all the resources within the tiny, sensitive oyster rush to the spot and begin to release healing fluids that otherwise would have remained dormant. By and by the irritant is covered and the wound is healed- by a pearl. No other gem has so fascinating a history. It is the symbol of stress- a healed wound.... A precious, tiny jewel conceived through irritation, born of adversity, nursed by adjustments. Had there been no wounding, no irritating interruption, there could have been no pearl. Some oysters are never wounded... And those who seek for gems toss them aside, fit only for stew.

No wonder our heavenly home has its entrance pearly gates. Those who go through them need no explanation. They are the ones who have been wounded, bruised, and have responded to the sting of irritation with the pearl of adjustment.