From Bottom Dweller to Pearl

balloons on ceiling

The balloons may reside on our ceiling for a few weeks but “Birth Week” is over and now it’s time to get back to work. However, before I close the door on this milestone birthday, I want to tell you about one of the most unique gifts I received at my birthday party.

Proverbs 31 framed

A friend gave me a beautifully framed verse, scripted in Hebrew, from Proverbs 31. It says,

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies” (Proverbs 31:10).

What my friend didn’t know is that I have spoken on Proverbs 31, this verse in particular.

Lisa on Camel1

When I was in Israel in 2014, a Jewish scholar showed me that in the original Hebrew the word for “rubies” was actually “pearls” but Jewish translators changed it because pearls come from bottom dwellers and are unclean.

I thought, That is perfect.

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than pearls.

pearl

A pearl is formed through ten to twelve years of gritty irritation in an oyster shell before it reaches its beautiful state. It’s often the same with our lives, isn’t it? Year after year, it seems the distress will never end, but one day when we emerge from the trials, we realize God has used the problems to make us stronger, so that we will glorify Him through our healing, and so we can help others going through the same issues.

When I realized this about Proverbs 31:30, I had a new appreciation for the Proverbs 31 woman. I used to think the standard she set was unattainable.

pearlheart

How many “pearls” are on your necklace?

Today, I am thankful for all the troubles I’ve seen, because there is not one that God has failed to use in a message or a one-on-one conversation. He has taken my problems and made pearls out of them, and for that I am eternally grateful.

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3­–4).

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