In a dream, the Lord showed me many oysters. On the outside, their shells all looked the same, but the condition inside was different in a few of them. Inside the rare and valuable ones sat a pearl nestled deep within. When I awoke, I asked the Holy Spirit to explain to me what He was trying to show me.
The Lord often reveals part of a vision or dream to me and sits with joyous anticipation as I crack the code, so to speak, by asking Him questions, and one by one He answers, leading me to understand the full view. It truly is one of my favorite ways in which He chooses to teach me and share prophetic knowledge with me because it requires constant interaction, like a wanderer being led to an unknown destination guided by the Creator of the Universe.
But back to the pearls...
As I began researching oysters and their formation of pearls, I learned how rare this occurrence is and that only 1 in 10,000 oysters in nature will ever create a pearl. They are considered the most valuable and are also the most coveted.
Now, pearls do not magically appear inside an oyster. It is a result of an irritant, such as a grain of sand. There is a lengthy process resulting in years that the oyster layer by layer produces a thin coating over the grain of sand, creating a pearl which is stronger and lighter than that of concrete.
Clearly, this is impressive, but let me explain a bit deeper as I correlate the pearl-bearing oyster to that of the Christian life.
You see the pearl represents the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, peace, patience, and kindness of a Believer's life from a heart submitted fully to the Lord. It is the evidence of the treasures that Matthew spoke of that are stored up in heaven from our acts of faith and righteousness that moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal. As I look at the church today, most people who call themselves Christians look the same by their outward appearance, but if you look close enough, you will find evidence of their true worth in the fruit or pearls they bear. When the Lord sent Samuel to anoint David as the next king, He instructed Him to bypass all of his older brothers and choose whom the world saw as unlikely because David was a man after God's own heart. It is the inward man that the Lord is most interested in.
But how is a pearl created in a Believer's heart anyway? Well, I'm glad you asked.
Have you ever noticed some of the most anointed people with the strongest faith have been through something? The ones that have suffered excruciating pain, unimaginable disappointment, or overcome devastating illness bear within beautiful, valuable pearls. This is because the Lord allowed the grain of sand that was meant to irritate and cause inflammation instead to strengthen and purify them from the inside out. After completing this long, weary, and refining process, the oil of righteousness is usually dripping from the brow of the Believer who has overcome.
So, I encourage you today that if you find yourself struggling with a difficult situation that most likely feels harsher than a mere grain of sand, ask the Lord to strengthen you through the process of refining so that you may bear much fruit on this earth and store up treasures in heaven for the next.
June 15, 2025
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:22-24 NIV
After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
Acts 13:22 NIV
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Matthew 7:16-18 NKJV
He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.
Malachi 3:3 NLT
You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Genesis 50:20 NLT
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19-20 NLT