Joshua 5:9-12 / 2 Cor 5:17-21 / Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Whenever we think about jewellery, a few things will come to mind.
One of which is the precious metals that make up most of the jewellery.
And these precious metals are mostly gold and silver. So, there are earrings, bracelets, necklace, rings and brooches that are made from these precious metals.
Besides that, there are also jewellery made with precious stones, and it is usually diamonds, as well as other precious stones.
These precious metals and stones are not just valuable, they are also beautiful.
But in the original form, they look far from precious or beautiful.
For example, gold and silver are mined from the Earth. They go through a long process of purification before becoming precious and beautiful.
Similarly for diamonds, they are also mined from the Earth.
In the raw form, they are rough stones, which will go through a process of cutting and polishing before becoming valuable and beautiful.
The gospel parable, which is also known as the parable of a prodigal son, began on a rather tensed situation.
The tax collectors and sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what He had to say to them.
The Pharisees and the scribes complained about Jesus being in the company of sinners, and so He told them this parable.
The parable touches on family relationships and the main focus is on that younger son.
That younger son was rough enough to ask for his share of the inheritance, and then went on to squander it away in a far off country.
He had to go through a cutting and grinding experience of hunger and humiliation that made him come to his senses.
And he had the humility and the sensibility to go back to his father in repentance and ask for forgiveness.
There is no doubt that the younger son was a pain for the father, as well as for the elder brother.
But pain can be transformed into something precious.
It made that prodigal son realized how precious is his father's love for him.
As for the father, the pain of his son leaving him transformed it into a precious lesson for us.
So out of pain, something precious can come about.
This is what the parable is teaching us, and this is also the reality of how those precious pearls come about.
We may know that pearls are produced by oysters, and those pearls are produced because the oyster experience some kind of pain, or because it was irritated in some way.
A pearl is actually a healed wound. It is formed when an irritant, like a grain of sand or a parasite, enters into the shell of the oyster.
To protect itself, the oyster secretes layers of a smooth, shiny substance called nacre, coating the intruder over time.
Layer by layer, this process continues until a beautiful pearl is formed.
So, those beautiful pearls are a product of pain.
It is about transforming something unwanted into something precious and beautiful.
This also brings to mind the pain and the suffering of Jesus that He went through for us.
By His wounds we are healed, and His pain brought about the precious love of God for us.
Let us put the pains of our lives into the hands of Jesus, so that He can transform those pains into beautiful pearls of blessings for us.