Endurance
(Part 1)
Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant, such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body…The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin, materials that also make up its shell. This creates a material called nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, which encases the irritant and protects the mollusc from it.
Natural History Museum. (n.d.). How do oysters make pearls?
from https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/quick-questions/how-do-oysters-make-pearls.html
Isn’t it strange that something as precious as the pearl is the result of conflict—the fruit of battle? Or perhaps it’s not so strange. After all, there are parallels in the spiritual realm. When James tells us to rejoice in our various trials (Jas 1:2), he explains that this testing of our faith produces endurance (Jas 1:3). Paul tells us that endurance (the same word) is given by God (Rom 15:5), but it is not bestowed as part of a glorious revelation while angelic choirs sing from on high. It’s clear from Scripture that endurance is largely produced in the same way that the pearl is formed—by meeting difficulties and dealing with them.
Endurance is the muscle we build when we face the injustices and heartaches of life and, with God’s help, overcome them. Endurance involves fighting the good fight for Christ’s sake when Satan whispers in our ear, “Take the easy road.” Endurance is the old man in a prison cell urging his beloved son in the faith to demonstrate a spirit of “power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:2, 7). It’s the young man planting his feet in the midst of an angry mob, refusing to temper his message with conciliatory words (Acts 7:2–60).
Endurance is the Christian woman, shackled to a drunk year after weary year, striving to win him to Christ by the example of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:1–2). Endurance is the man on the factory floor, battling to pay a mortgage, ridiculed for his commitment to Christ, yet never blaming God for his lot in life (Job 1:22). Endurance, like the pearl, is a product of conflict—and yes, conflict does hurt—but our God loves us too much to deprive us of the end result: that we “may be perfect (mature) and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4).
Continued next month
Rex
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