I. What is a pearl?
A. A gemstone.
II. How is it produced?
A. A pearl is produced when a foreign object, such as a fine grain of sand
or a sea parasite, finds its way into a mollusks shell and imbeds itself
into the mantle. This produces an irritation to the oyster so it secretes
two substances; conchiolin and nacre, to cover the object. The
conchiolin is secreted first and then the nacre over it. The conchiolin
binds the nacre together to form the pearl. Over a period of time the
original object is consumed and can no longer be found.
1. II Cor. 5:21 Though there was no sin in the Lord Jesus all our sins were
placed on Him. (Rom 8:1-4) (Col. 3:1-3)
B. A pearl is produced by an irritation, by pain.
1. Lk. 22:39-44; I Pet. 3:18 The Lord Jesus suffered physically and also
suffered and agonized at the fact of becoming sin.
C. A pearl leads to an oysters premature death.
1. Is. 53
D. As concerning the believer: over a period of time the original object,
the irritation is consumed, consumed by layer after layer of nacre.
2. Rom. 5:20-21
III. What makes a pearl special?
A. Pearls are associated with the moon, wedding and purity. "The pearl
however owes nothing to man...it is absolutely a gift from nature on which
man cannot improve. A lustrous pearl has more than just a shiny, reflective
surface. It also has a glow from within. A pearl needs no enhancement; it
needs no cutting or polishing. It seems to glow from within. It comes from a
living creature and seems to have a living spirit."
1. Col. 1:25-27; I Pet. 3:1-4
IV. What are the three kinds of pearls?
A. Natural. The rarest and most expensive pearls. They are very rare today.
In certain Arab countries pearls are generally considered a special gift
from God that should be entirely a product of nature. Natural pearls are
rare and expensive because it takes years for them to develop. They have
thick layers of nacre. They take years to develop, but they will stand the
test of time.
B. Cultured. A cultured pearl is still a pearl. "A cultured pearl is also a
natural product, produced by a mollusk in essentially the same way it
produces a natural pearl, but with the help of science." In cultured pearls
oysters are artificially manipulated by placing a round bead in the mantle
that, in a few years, has a coat of nacre.
These cultured pearls are produced quickly and have no depth of nacre. They
don't have the durability, nor value, of the natural pearl. We have cultured
believers today but not spiritual believers. Spirituality and growth take
time.
1. Jam. 1:4
C. Imitations. "With all things beautiful, rare, and costly, humankind tries
to improve, imitate and duplicate. It has been this way since time began."
An imitation pearl is entirely artificial. It isn't real.
1. Jude 12-19
D. How to tell the difference between them.
1. An imitation pearl has a surface "shine" but no inner "glow". There's
nothing there (or rather no ONE there)!
(Phil. 2:12-13) Pearls which feel gritty to the teeth can look smooth under
high magnification; whereas imitations, which feel smooth, tend to look
coarse and rough.
a. A "fake" can seem all sweet and nice and smooth but you look closer and
you'll find they're not as sweet as you thought! Likewise a saint may seem
blunt and rough, but look deeper and you'll see a genuine charity.
A believer is real and not fake. He doesn't put on a surface shine. He has
an inner glow but you'll have to look to find it for he doesn't put his
charity out for display.
2. The Drill Hole Test. Natural pearls may show a series of growth lines
that are missing from cultured pearls for cultured pearls are not given time
to grow! Cultured pearls have a dark dividing line separating the nacre from
the bead nucleus which is not there in an imitation pearl.
a. A believer has a struggle between flesh and Spirit that the unbeliever
doesn't have. And a consecrated, patient believer has growth that an
impatient believer, a cultured believer, doesn't have!
3. The Flaw Test. If the pearls appear flawless then the pearl is real. Flaw
terms: Blemish, Cleanliness or Cleanness, Complexion, Flawlessness, Purity,
Spotting, Surface, Surface Appearance, Surface Protection and Texture.
Flaws can be internal or external. (II Cor. 7:1)- "It is not the presence of
flaws that matters. It's the type, quantity, and prominence of the flaw that
does. Flaws can be positive features. They serve as indentifying marks that
a gem is ours and not someone else's. They help prove that it is real and
not an imitation. The longer a pearl is in an oyster the more likely it is
for irregularities to occur. Therefore, when shopping for pearls there's no
need to look for flawless ones. You just need to know what types of flaws to
avoid. It's not the presence of flaws that matters. It's the type, quantity
and prominence of the flaws that does." "Keep in mind that it's normal for
pearls to have a few flaws. The Gemological Institute of America takes this
into consideration in the way they define their "flawless" category for
pearls on a strand: "Most appear blemish-free to the unaided eye. It would
be abnormal for all the pearls to be flawless." The pearl industry does not
have a standardized grading system. In a grading system you are likely to
buy a grader rather than a pearl! "One of the drawbacks of the diamond
grading system is that is sometimes led buyers to become so focused on color
and clarity thatthey overlook brilliance and cut." (We need balance!)
"Judging...requires a balanced perspective. On the one hand we shouldn't be
so lax that we let shoddy workmanship become the norm. On the other hand, we
shouldn't be so perfectionistic that no pearls can meet our standards. When
you look at a strand of pearls consider it's overall impact. Look at as many
different qualities...as possible." "Since cultured pearls now dominate the
market we have come to expect a certain "look" in pearls, a look rarely
found in natural pearls -- uniformity, whiteness, roundness and much larger
sizes than are normally seen in natural pearls. In a market so totally
dominated by cultured pearls we've come to expect precise matching in pearl
strands and perfection of shape, and surface smoothness in individual
pearls; pearls that aren't "perfect" or well matched are assumed to be "poor
quality" cultured pearls. As a result, natural pearls are sometimes ignored
because they aren't recognized for what they are." Natural pearls, which are
move valuable are sometimes mistakenly disdained because of their smaller
size. They are considered not "important" because of their size. But an
informed dealer knows the value. Absence of uniformity is a sign of a
natural pearl and thus a more valuable pearl.- There's only 1 perfect pearl,
only 1 pearl of great price --- The Lord Jesus Christ. It's not how you
measure up against other pearls -- how do you measure up against Him? (II
Cor. 10:12)- "Keep in mind when buying pearls that it's not just their
inherent quality that determines their acceptability. Your needs and desires
also count. Therefore, it's you (the buyer) that has the final say as to
what's acceptable and what's not." What matters is what is acceptable to the
one who is buying the pearls. (I Cor. 6:20)- A pearl that stays long in the
oyster has more durability and value but it has an irregular shape. A shape
that determines how it is to be used. A craftsman works with the shape he
has. Round is not necessarily "right"! God uses who He desires to. He see's
things you and I cannot see. "A pearl necklace valued at $200,000 shown at
one of our recent great exhibitions was to all appearances, a remarkably
beautiful collection, and it was only when the intending purchaser took them
from their velvet bed that he realized that there was not a perfect pearl in
the entire collection. It must have taken more than a week of study for the
clever dealer to arrange them so that the best part, sometimes the only good
part of each pearl, should be where the eye would fall upon it. After they
had been turned in the hands a few times not one perfect specimen was
visible." (Rom. 14:1-13)- So we shouldn't judge? No, we should still judge.
"The lack of standardization has not kept pearl dealers from judging
blemish, nor should it keep you from doing so. You can form your own grading
system." Yes, you ought to judge - YOURSELF!! (I Cor. 11:31)
V. How can you tell which is a high quality pearl?
A. Observe them under strong light. (The Book) High luster pearls will have
a good, sharp contrast between the light and dark areas.
B. Roll them in your hands. (Let God "handle" you, examine you, and try you.
C. View pearls against a neutral background such as a very light gray
or flat white background. Never view pearls against
only a black background -- pearls look very beautiful worn against
black, but black makes it difficult to see
subtle costly differences.
1. Don't compare yourself to others, you'll deceive yourself.
VI. How do you care for pearls?
A. Since pearls are organic they need to be able to have moisture and to be
able to breath.
1. I Thess. 5:19 Pearls can get brittle and crack. So can believers.
2. They need to be cleaned.
3. They have to be kept away from vinegars and acids. Such will eat them up.
Pearls, and believers need cleansing, not to be eaten up with acid!
- A fine pearl is a gem that will stand the test of time, a thing of lasting
beauty to be enjoyed; a poor quality pearl can quickly lose its beauty, in
some cases, after only months. (Jer. 1:4)