Skip to main content

layers

 


My parents gave me the only strand of pearls I have ever owned.
I only break them out for special occasions.

Most cultured pearls are made by inserting a nucleus ( usually a tiny piece of clam shell), along with some living tissue from another oyster into an unsuspecting oyster. To deal with these invaders, the tissue makes a sac around the nucleus and the oyster covers it with a thin coat iridescent coating called nacre.
It takes about six months.
Longer for bigger pearls.
But essentially they are coated tissue sacs.

A natural pearl starts with an irritant just like the cultured ones.
But instead of a tissue sac, it is layer after layer after layer of shiny coating.
Underneath is more shiny pearl.
A 3mm pearl takes 5 years to form.
Larger ones can take up to 20 years.

Layers take time.
And add value.
And are incredibly rare.

I’m sure my parents spend more than I could afford on these pearls. Maybe even a few hundred dollars. And other than my engagement ring, it is one of the nicest pieces of jewelry I own. But natural pearls would have run them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And the only difference between hundreds of dollars and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Is what is underneath.
Layers or empty tissue.

Multiple times the bible refers to the kingdom of heaven as a fine pearl. One of great value.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew: 13:45-46

And I am thinking it is pretty safe to assume that this merchant could tell the difference.
And knew that he had stumbled across something valuable and rare and worth selling everything for.
Rich layers that I can not even grasp.

My faith has always seemed to have a lot of layers.
Rules.
Verses.
Truths.
Absolutes.
Stances on issues.
Things I learned in church.
Things I learned in Sunday school or at camp.
Books and studies and even a few unlearnings.

And I always thought this was good.
That each layer was making me look like a better Christian.
That each layer made me more impressive.
Each layer added proof or acceptance or added more people on my “team”.
Or it made me feel more right than those that I disagreed with.

But lately those layers have started to peel away.
One by one.
Slowly and methodically.
Things that I believed and held on to are being shed.
Black and white is turning into gray.

And I worry.
And I’m not sure that I’m right.
Or that they need to be shed.
And I’m a little afraid at what I will find underneath.
Of how much will be left.

But the thing about a real pearl.
A natural one.
One of great value.
Is that you can peel layer after layer and every time you will find a new shiny layer underneath. Made of the exact same stuff as the layer on top of it.

Underneath it is still a pearl.
Rather than just an empty shell.
And that is the find of a lifetime.
And is the kingdom I can invest in.

This is part of Creativity BootCamp Day3. Random Word Prompt:Multilayered
boot camp
Posted by Picasa

Comments

Margie said…
Love this so much I might save it and periodically re-read it. Great job, Michelle. (And, by the way, my own copy of BbB is coming in this week - yours will be yours again! Thanks for sharing.)
This was such a lovely read... so thankful for it today. Your takes on the boot camp assignments are so... YOU :)

Popular posts from this blog

Canceled

I inhale books. So much so that I’m occasionally embarrassed by my intake. I don’t want anyone to think that I don’t work or pay attention to my family.  I’m just a fast reader and I don’t watch a lot of TV or play any games on my phone. Well – except for Wordle of course. My library card get a lot of miles. However, I still probably spend an embarrassing amount on books.  Even though I often put books in those cute little free libraries – I still have more books than shelves.  Today I did something tragic.  I did not renew my book of the month membership.  And let's be honest, it is more like three books a month.  I am not unhappy with the customer service, quality  or selection.  Book of the Month, I promise …it’s not you - it’s me.  I want to invest in my writing and I realize this going to cost me.  I don’t want to take that money from my family or my kid’s college funds.  Instead I had to evaluate what I was willing to give up.  What financial choices impact me but not as many

slow

Recently I went to the local running store and let them charge a ridiculous amount for a new pair of running shoes. I used to run. Just like I used to do lots of things, but lately I have been slow to get off the couch. Let’s be honest. This season has been a long one, and I’ve been slow to do a lot of things that are good for me. My old shoes are wearing thin and nothing motivates like a new pair of kicks.  I quickly found my brand and style of choice and asked the worker to bring them in my size. The owner spoke up from the back, “So you are picking your shoes out based on how they look?” I pulled my own foot into her view. I showed her a similar pair in teal, well worn, with the big toe scuffed all the way through. The model was a few years old and I needed a fresh start.  “Nope. These are my brand, but I’m open to your suggestions.” Runners are very particular about their shoes.  I tell her I need something to absorb a lot of the impact.  I tell her that I overpronate just a little

The annual REAL Christmas letter: 2021 edition

  One of my favorite traditions for over a  decade has been to sit down and try to write a REAL Christmas letter.  Not just the highlights, but a few honest moments as well. It started as a joke with one of my friends, thinking how refreshing it be for people to share more than just their perfect lives that we are used to seeing on Facebook and Instagram. It would be way more truthful and a whole lot more entertaining. So here goes… 2021 I had such high hopes for you. Well, actually the bar was pretty low but clearly not low enough. If I have learned anything from 2020 it is that even things that are difficult, the days are still a gift. It is a gift to gather with family without a Covid test or a worrisome 5 days after. It is a gift to go to the movies or a concert. It is a gift to go to work, school and sporting events. It is a gift to get vaccines, to board an airplane to sit in a pew at church. It is a gift to be allowed back to visit someone in the emergency room. It is a gift to