God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it. Matthew 13:45-46(MSG)

Our search for the meaning of life can be wonderful or a drag at certain times in our journey. However, down times are not times for giving up in despair. They are rather the times of opportunity where you need to seek and find the pearls within. Pearls are substances found within shells of oysters. They are shiny and valuable substances and you simple do not pick them up freely. You must do the work of picking, opening up the shell and drawing out the pearl.Once obtained, the bearer goes away with his or her precious pearl. Today we are talking about another form of PEARL, the Precious Encounter with the Almighty that Refines your Life. The scripture above describes God’s Kingdom as excellent and flawless, one that is worth much more than the value of all your possessions. A value, greater than excellent pearls and therefore worth all your investment in acquiring it. Are you willing to sell all you have for the Kingdom’s ideals? What are you holding so dear to your heart that prevents you from acting the Kingdom’s way?

Paul on finding the kingdom declared, “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:38-39 (KJV). He also renounced his earthly acquisition in search for the kingdom stating, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:14 (KJV) Can you imitate Paul’s actions or are you consumed by earthly values and blame God for any problems you experience? You must not neglect Kingdom values as they are more than excellent pearls. God is absolute truth and His good plans will guide your life. See problems as opportunities because in the midst of every problem there is a silver lining of God’s mercy and glory. As you persevere with Him in resolving problems, you will experience His glory. Therefore, do not give up as there are pearls you must pick up on the pathways of solving problems.

Make sure you can identify these precious encounters which will refine your life. Abram was refined to Abraham, David, the shepherd boy was refined to King David and Saul was refined to Apostle Paul. Take these refining opportunities and be changed from glory to glory. As you do this, the chapters of your life story will be written in full. It may have a small beginning but the body and conclusion will be glorious. People will use the phrase “Was not this the barren, how come s/he has so many children?” Persevere as generations will forever be grateful for the precious pearls you discovered. Amen

Dr Rex