A Lesson We Can Gain From The Oyster

The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance (such as a grain of sand) slips into an oyster between its mantle and shell, irritating the mantle (see illustration).

The oyster’s natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The mantle covers the irritant with layers of a shiny substance called “nacre” — a substance that is used to create the shell.

Over a long period of time, it forms a beautiful pearl.

Dear reader, a lesson we can gain from the oyster, is that from the irritations in life that come our way, we should allow God to make pearls out of us (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; cf. Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 7:4-7).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets