The Pearl of Great Value is a Story- Your Story

The parable of the Pearl of Great Value (Matthew 13:45-46) asks the reader for what would they sell everything. What would you give up all your worldly and egoic treasures to procure? A romance? A mansion? A hit album? What is more precious than gold? Here’s a suggestion: your soul’s story could be the most precious thing you have. Attaining authority of your story could be the most important spiritual work you do.

This idea came to me while speaking with my younger son on one of our nature walks. The thoughtful young man explained that his service in the military showed him that he is not all that special. There are thousands of others like him serving now, or who have served in the past, and who will serve in the future. His skill set, though important, is not unique to him. Many others have had the same training. I assured him that he is unique and infinitely treasured by his family and friends.

My son brought up a good point, though. What is so special about any of us?

Perhaps it is our unique and un-replicate-able stories that make each of us special, and precious. That which transcends our earthly lives and continues into eternity is the narrative of our time here. Taking the journey of the soul requires us to claim every last words, phrase, and fragmented sentence of that story.

The image of a pearl is an apt metaphor for our stories because they are formed over time in layers. Our stories also develop over time in layers; their shapes, hues, and luminesce are affected by the environment from which we grow. Pearls, like stories, are beautiful on their own and gorgeous when grouped with other pearls. A family line could be imagined as a string of pearls.

Another way in which the Pearl of Great Value is a likeness to our soul’s stories is that pearls are created when an irritant finds its way into an oyster or mollusk. As the sea creature matures, layers of nacre form around the irritant, creating the gem. We only grow the treasure of our soul when we face irritants, or conflicts. We add layers of new material to our personal narratives when we are uncomfortable.

Considering the Pearl of Great Value as our souls’ stories, it is clear that what makes each of us precious is not the things the world measures, like wealth and status. What makes us precious is our layered, luminous gems of experiences. From this perspective, every person’s story is sacred. Everyone possesses a Pearl of Great Value.