A BEAUTIFUL PRICE

Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

I love the parable that Jesus spoke regarding the merchant and the pearl of great price. Of course in this story we know that Jesus is the merchant and our soul is the pearl of great wealth. A pearl is the product of pain. The process begins when the oyster gets a grain of sand or a foreign object like a piece of fish bone trapped in its mouth. This causes the oyster to cover the irritant with saliva and calcium which reduces the pain. Each time the oyster covers the grain of sand it becomes a little smoother and a little larger. The process goes on for as long as three years to produce the pearl. The finished product is not only beautiful
to the beholder, but can be quite valuable. When Jesus Christ found you in the midst of your sins, He was willing to pay the highest amount for your redemption. Our sins would cost Him the pain and suffering of Calvary and He took something that was quite useless and made it into something of great beauty and worth. My friend, Jesus loves you and paid a beautiful price for you to have a relationship with Him. He pulled us out of the pit of sin, out of the miry clay and began to mold us into something beautiful and of great wealth.

For those of you who are walking with Christ and your life appears to be spinning out of control and you feel like you are all alone, I have a word from the Lord for you. "Be patient my child, I am still covering you each day just like the oyster who continues to cover the grain of sand until completion". Let us be reminded
of this precious promise we have been given from Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! The pain we go through is part of the process of becoming the beautiful handiwork of the Lord. His anointing is covering us, His promises are covering us, His will is covering us and His favor is covering us. Layer upon layer we are becoming strengthened and being made ready for the Master's work. There is a tremendous reward for being patient as God prepares His servant to fulfill His will. Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified. What a beautiful price. 

There is something that stands out about a pearl that is different from every other gem. A pearl can not be divided like a diamond or ruby. The pearl is whole and if it was to be cut or divided it would lose its value. No wonder Satan does everything in his power to divide our Churches, our families and the word of God. He knows we will not be valuable to our community, our lost neighbors and co-workers. A pearl must be in unity in order for it to be sought after. My friend, the Lord looked at the price tag that was hanging from your soul and when He turned it over and it stated "Everything" He said He would pay the price. It cost Jesus everything to purchase our salvation and this beautiful gospel. You were worth every stripe they placed upon His back, you were worth every agonizing moment of pain when they pressed the crown of thorns upon His head and you were worth the excruciating pain from the nails they drove through His
hands and feet. Don't let the devil whisper in your ears that you are worthless. You are a pearl in the eyes of the Lord and to Him you are worth everything. Yes my friend, our salvation was paid with a beautiful price.