A Grain of Sand becomes a Beautiful Pearl
Turning irritants into Beautiful Pearls

For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory… 2 Corinthians 4:17

Have you ever seen what a clam can do with a grain of sand? It really is quite amazing. As a clam sits quite content at the bottom of the ocean, it moves around. You might ask…

How does a clam move? It sticks out its tongue like a foot and uses this to pull itself along. It often leaves a trail behind that looks like a snails trail.

This movement allows sand to seep between the mantle and the shell.

When a grain of sand gets into the shell it will secrete a substance called nacre or mother of pearl. Nacre coats the sand over and over… layer after layer and over time it develops into a pearl. This is very similar to getting a splinter. The natural reaction is to cover it up to protect itself. The nacre is secreted to cover the irritant.

The Bible says that our troubles… irritants or grains of sand produces in us eternal glory.

What does that mean?

Do you ever get irritated? Is there any area in your life that you are frustrated and you are just bothered? Do you have a person in your life that irritates you?

I have a secret I want to tell you. Just like the clam, we can clam up.

When does a clam—clam up? When it is defensive! It will lock up tight and the muscles inside keep it tight. Nothing can get in and nothing can get out. This means even good things like food that bring life.

Sometimes the irritation is inside us like a grain of sand. It is rubbing us and making us hurt and sometimes it can make you raw.

The clam takes the irritant and covers it with nacre. We can take our irritants to God and ask Him to cover them. Each time we take it to Him. He will cover this irritant in us and use it to make the irritant turn into a beautiful pearl inside our heart.

Don’t answer this out loud, “Who in your life irritates you?” Maybe it’s your mom when she says go clean your room. Maybe it’s your teacher when she says, you have to do school work now and not play. Maybe it’s your spouse or your boss. Maybe it’s your friends…

When we are irritated, we can do one of two things: clam up and let nothing go in or out of us. This is not good. It builds anger, bitterness and does not allow for us to feel better. OR we can take it to God and say, “GOD, help! I am irritated. Show me how to be loving, gentle and kind even when I am irritated. Like, right now!” Okay… maybe we shouldn’t be bossy to God. We should ask Him politely. He is polite to us!

God will answer our prayer and begin the process of taking the grain of sand and turning it into beauty. He will give us an obedient heart even when we are irritated. We will find we can respond kindly instead of with irritation or meanness.

Amazingly, a grain of sand can become iridescent, shiny, and beautiful. The pearl has a beautiful luster and color--white, silvery, pink, salmon, red, copper, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue, cream, or yellow--and comes in all kinds of shapes. It is sold for jewelry, covering on instruments like guitars, ceramic tiles, kitchen sinks and even shirt buttons.

What are you going to do with your grain of sand? Will you allow GOD to cover it and turn it into something beautiful or will you let it stay inside you and keep irritating you? It is your choice. Which will you choose?

I'd love to hear from you! Tara

Writing and teaching the Bible allows me the privilege of observing real needs and real pain. I am honored with prayer requests to pray for and I too give prayer requests for others to pray over. It seems that alot of the requests I am receiving of late deal with the mind. So many issues would be answered in our world if we would simply surrender our mind to Christ. This is why scripture tells us to take every thought captive. Recently, as someone I love shared the desire to flee from life I wrote this prayer for this precious one to pray from a sincere heart. As I thought about it I realized it was my prayer years ago as I dealt with major suffering and pain in my life. The Father answered my plea and as I observe so many in scripture and in Christiandom that willingly surrender all I see that HE alone answers any sincere heart that seek Him. In fact, the Bible tells us that HE searches for those that seek Him. I hope you read this prayer and just maybe it will give you the prompting that is needed to get your heart right with God and give Him even the hidden corners of your mind.

Father, There are deep recesses in my brain filled with things I do not know and do not understand. You however, know all things and understand all things. You know why I am the way I am and You say it is good because I am Your creation. Please take every unconscious thought that is hidden within me and every conscious thought that is known to me and cover them with faith in Christ Jesus to heal all completely. Heal my unbelief that I might believe and help me to trust YOU for YOU are trustworthy, honest, faithful and true. I am angry. I am hurt. I am scared. I am fearful and anxious. I want to run away, but You want me to stay. How do I do this LORD? I cannot do it alone! But with YOU I know I can do all things. I bow before YOU now seeking YOUR face and YOUR answers for all my inner deepest needs! COME and fill me up. I give YOU everything in me both the known and unknown. I am waiting for YOU to make YOURSELF known in me. Thank YOU for hearing immediately. Thank YOU for answering instantly. Thank YOU for loving me deeply. I surrender all. IN Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

Writing allows me the privilege to hear from those that are impacted by the truths that we journey together in studying. A dear sister in Nebraska sent me a sweet testimony about the week two lesson on Hannah in Redeemed to Praise. I have asked her permission to share it. I know you will be blessed.

Tara, I wanted you to know that I have been especially blessed by Hannah's story this week. I have drawn so much closer to God through her story. She had a deep need that no one else understood. Year after year, she faced the embarrassement of not having a child. Finally, she took it before the Lord and left her burdens there. The Bible says that her countenance was no more sad. I struggled a bit with this because I have given everything over to God (I thought) and sometimes my countenance was sad. I was sad because I might have to go to jail. I learned that Hannah worshipped the Lord before she knew God's answer. She praised him because she knew God had heard her prayer and that He was faithfull. If any word I learned about more this week it is the word "faithful."

God knows what is best for our lives and he is in total control. God knows exactly what I need whether it's jail or not. I now realize, I did not completly give it over to God. God's will and plan could be that I go to jail....BECAUSE IT IS WHATS BEST FOR ME. If staying out of jail is not what I need, then I hope I do go to jail. God is in control. So I will praise him if the judge tells me that I can go home or if the judge tells me I have to go to jail. I think I will be a little nervous, but it's what God wants and he has packed his bags and is going with me.

When Hannah took Samuel and gave him back to the temple I thought I would see tears running down her face and someone would have to rip her away. I mean she prayed and waited so long for this boy and at an early age she has to give him up. I knew she would do it because she promised God, but I couldn't believe her strength. 1 Samuel 2:1-10 is called Hannah's song. She just let go of her precious child and she praises God with a heart that has truly seen the faithfulness of God. I pray that no matter the outcome of September 24, I can truly praise God for His faithfullness. Thank you for helping God to let me see this.

Love, A Nebraska Sister