The Pearl of Great Price
In Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus speaks to his disciples a parable. He says, " 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." But what makes a pearl be of great price? In the world today, you can pull up any number of YouTube videos to see pearl farms and the way in which they operate. A clam or oyster is removed from the bed where they have it cultivated and pried open gently with a blade so as to not injure or kill the mollusk. They gently pull back the membrane of the upper shell to remove the pearl that has grown inside and then replace the "seed" inside the membrane to begin the process over again. The process is so refined that the farmers can produce multiple pearls, often having several beds going at a time to increase the production. Due to the sheer volume of these farms and the consistent product whic...