Pearls

So today I went and got a free strand of freshwater pearls— some promotional thing from Goldsmith Jewelers. Now this is significant for two reasons.

#1: I love jewelry! I don’t know why, but I really like nice jewelery, and even jewelery that looks nice but didn’t cost an arm and a leg. With seven brothers I sometimes wonder how I turned out so very feminine, but I’m not complaining. My husband might though, if/when I get married.

#2: Pearls are uniquely beautiful. That probably sounds so cliche, but trust me, it’s a deeper statement than it appears to be. Most pearls bought and worn by the average gal are cultured pearls, meaning they force the oysters to make pearls. They “feed” the oyster a round object, causing them to create a perfectly round pearl. Since this promotional offer was giving away a free strand of pearls I figured they would be in this category– just as beautiful as other pearls, but less impressive because they are “man-made.” I pulled out my strand to admire it, and found that these pearls aren’t perfect! They don’t match perfectly in roundness or size, or even color, though of course they are extremely similar. Many are more oblong than spherical, and they show a subtle variation in overall size and shade.

What an incredible animal an oyster is! Who else would take an annoying bit of sand, rubber, or any small foreign object and coat it with pearlescent beauty? We prize those creations, sometimes with an extravagant price tag. Lately, I’ve been working hard to smooth out some rough edges with a friend– an absolutely fabulous gal, but we just have different ways of seeing the world. It can get really stressful trying to create good conditions and consciously do things to improve the relationship, but I realized that it doesn’t have to be like that. Just like an oyster patiently and carefully coating the problem to make a precious gem, I too can add layer by layer to create a beautiful friendship. With a little practice that will become a way of living, not just a temporary behaviour change. And I imagine that someone will value those pearls we make far beyond the ones the oysters make.

May we all be a little more oyster-like.