The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Matthew 13:44-46
Recognizing his find to be of inestimable worth, the merchant sacrificed whatever was necessary to make it his own. There is a cost involved in obtaining the pearl. We can’t have it for nothing; it will cost everything. There are times in our lives when something difficult brings us to another depth of insight, another level of spiritual maturity, revealing something within us that we never knew before. If we recognize its value are we willing to make a change no matter how much it will cost us?
Prayer
May I recognize the richness of being to which I am called.
Action
Read and reflect on this parable. Where do you see similarities in your life? What is Jesus saying?
Suggested Reading
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant.
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Matthew 13:44-4
It is necessary to place the precious pearl of the kingdom before all other earthly goods; it is necessary to put God in first place in our life. According primacy to God means having the courage to say no to evil, to violence to oppression; to live a life of service to others and in favor of legality and the common good. … One must be a friend of God, love one’s brothers, and be committed to the protection of their lives and health, also respecting the environment and nature.
Pope Francis
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.
Henry David Thoreau
In the end that was the choice you made, and it doesn’t matter how hard it was to make it, it matters that you did.
Cassandra Clare
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
William Jennings Bryan
As long as we are persistence in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow. We cannot choose the day or time when we will fully bloom. It happens in its own time.
Denis Waitley
I am thankful for all of those who said no to me. It’s because of them I’m doing it myself.
Albert Einstein
The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow. For every challenge encountered there is opportunity for growth.
Unknown