Pearls of Great Price [God Transforms Your Pain into Pearls]

Think about something in your life, in your character, beliefs, thoughts or emotions that causes you pain. Fear? Anger? Pride? Rejection? Low self esteem/ insecurity? Discouragement or depression?  A secret sin that you just can’t seem to break free from?  God wants to remove that pain. 

We Avoid Pain, 

We try to avoid pain, but God makes pain work for our Good.

Pain is the great motivator of our lives. Things that we can’t or won’t change for any other reason we will change if it hurts enough. 

Holy Spirit comes to us in the place of our greatest pain and encourages and enables us to do something about it.  

Romans 12:2 tells us that God will transform us as we renew our minds with God’s thoughts – His word. This transformation is the process through which Holy Spirit forms Christ’s character in us. 

Pearl Diving With Jesus

God speaks to us in many ways. He sometimes speaks to me through pictures (often like short movies). They often only last for a short time. But they are filled with meaning. . 

One morning, while spending time with God, I saw a picture, it was like a movie. I was on a small boat on the ocean and I was diving off the boat. I was diving for pearls. We were going deep because these pearls aren’t found on the surface or in the shallows. Somehow, I knew all of those things.

I dived down toward the ocean floor where the pearls were. I looked over, and there was Jesus. I was pearl diving with Jesus.  

I waited to hear what he would say or do.  Jesus said to me, “You'll never find them on your own.” That’s all he said. And the picture vanished. Then, in my spirit, I knew that pearls were truths, the deep truths, the important truths of God. 

Jesus told me: “You’ll never find them on your own.” 

1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

The great truths of the Bible must be revealed to us by Holy Spirt. We’ll never find them on our own. 

Holy Spirit Lives in Us and He gives us the mind of Christ.

Holy Spirit reveals to us the thoughts and purposes of Jesus. (See 1 Corinthians 2:16) When we were born again, Holy Spirit came to live in us. He opens God’s Word to us. He leads and guides us into all truth and empowers us to live our lives as God desires. (See John 16:13)

With Holy Spirit’s help we will find the deep things of God in God’s Word.

How are Pearls Formed?

Pearls are caused by irritation. Sand or food particles get stuck for example in an oyster.

To protect itself the oyster will create layers and layers of protective materials called (aragonite ("ah-RAG-uh-nite") and conchiolin ( "KON-kee-uh-lin"). They  are folded over and wrapped around the irritation not one time but many times. Thin, very delicate layers are wrapped around the irritation again and again. Over time they harden, have this beautiful luster, and become a pearl which has great value.

Holy Spirit will turn the place of your pain into a pearl.

God wants to protect you from the pain in your life. Satan created wounds, flaws, and strongholds in your life. 

The price that we pay for each of the great truths in scripture is abiding. It is through reading, studying, declaring, meditating, believing, and praying God’s promises that we experience those promises.

John 8:31-32

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

Activation: Use this to turn your pain into Christlike character.