The Pearls

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five.  Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

"Oh please, Mommy.  Can I have them?  Please, Mommy, please!" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five.  That's almost $2.00.  If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.  Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies.  After dinner, she did more that her share of chores.  She also picked dandelions out of her neighbor’s yard for ten cents.  On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill, and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls... They made her feel dressed up and grown up.  She wore them everywhere -- Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed.  The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath.  Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving father... and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.  One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?" "Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, NOT my pearls.  But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection.  The one with the pink tail.  Remember, Daddy?  The one you gave me.  She's my favorite." "That's okay, honey.  Daddy loves you.  Good night."  And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after story time, Jenny's father asked again, "Do you love me?" "Daddy, you KNOW I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, NOT my pearls.  But you can have my baby doll.  The brand new one I got for my birthday.  She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper." "That's okay.  Sleep well.  God bless you, little one.  Daddy loves you."  And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her father came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style.  As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.  "What is it, Jenny?  What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her father.  And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace.  With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy.  It's for you."  With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind father reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the OTHER hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.  He had had them all the time.  He was just waiting for her to GIVE UP the dime-store stuff so he could give her GENUINE treasure! (Author Unknown).

There are a lot of faux (fake) pearls in the world today, but there is ONLY ONE
Pearl of GREAT price, there's ONLY ONE genuine treasure.  That treasure is:
The Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus said, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found ONE pearl of GREAT price, went and sold ALL that he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45-46).  You may become a part  of this kingdom IF you will LET GO of the sinful, temporal things you have been clinging to (that’s repentance), and submit to the King, Jesus Christ, by trusting Him (Hebrews 11:6), confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized in His name for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38).  If you will CONTINUE to cling to the Pearl of GREAT price through your faithfulness to the King, it will always be yours to enjoy.

We MUST be willing to LET GO of those things, which we cannot keep, in order to gain that which we can never lose! 

Is there anything that you're hanging on to that is keeping you from receiving the Pearl of GREAT price?  

God bless you!  

David A. Sargent, Minister 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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