Okay, I admit that oysters are an aquired taste. But everyone knows about a little jewel called a pearl. Now, it's possible for people to make "cultured" pearls, but, not so long ago, they could only be found by looking inside the shell of an oyster.
These creatures don't know they're making a jewel, though. They are only making themselves more comfortable. A life spent crawling around sandy areas might seem satin-smooth to you, but it isn't! A lot of sand gets swallowed, and oysters aren't the world's greatest coughers. So, in order to prevent sand grains from itching forever, they create a hard, smooth, layer around them. The result is a pearl.
Iratating things happen to us multiple times every day. The kids fight. The boss yells. Toast gets burned. Test tomorrow, and you've got to buckle down and study instead of watching TV. Doctors give you bad news with a smile pasted on their faces. You can add your own. It never seems to end. And the Bible says we're supposed to "be of good cheer."? In the nineties? Yeah, right!
Bear with me for a second. What if we thought of every annoyance as a grain of sand? Pearls don't get made overnight. But slowly we could build a few of our own.
Or, look at it this way. YOU are a pearl in the Hands of God, the Master Jeweler. (or, if you'll permit, the Oyster) The more "sand" He allows into your life, the bigger the pearl you become.
One of the things people like most about pearls is the way they shine when they're held up to the light.
God calls His pearls to shine. He desires us to reflect His Light to everyone around us.
And when we reach Heaven, we will see that Light with our own eyes! That will truly be a "bright, bright sunshiney Day"!