Broken to Beautiful
“Mommy, look at the beautiful shell I found!” said little Leah as she held out her palm to show me the large, broken seashell she was holding.
“That used to be a lightning whelk,” I told her.
“It still is a lightning whelk, Mommy!” she replied, surprised that I didn’t know.
“And LOOK!” she continued excitedly, “you can see inside!”
As I peered through the hole in the shell, I discovered a central column that revealed the remarkable way the creature had crafted its home. This column, formed through the creature's cyclical movements as it grew, resulted in the stunning design of its shell mantle. It struck me as incredibly meaningful that the true essence of this creature could only be appreciated now that its home had been broken. Up until that moment, finding broken shells had left me feeling disappointed, but now it filled me with hope. I realized how this whelk could serve as a reminder during times when I felt broken and vulnerable. This experience taught me that our fractured places often provide profound insights - windows even - into the inner workings of our lives, revealing beauty amid vulnerability.
Entrusting Broken Pieces
The fractured shell spoke of the potential redemption of human brokenness, of my own brokeness. It struck me that the shattered pieces of seashells and stones eventually become the sand that adorns our beaches; and that only those grains of sand that find their way into the abiding place of a pearl-maker, like an oyster, have the chance to transform into exquisite pearls. This revelation inspired me to ponder whether my own brokenness had been entrusted into the abiding place of my Heavenly Pearl-Maker, where it can be shaped into something extraordinary and beautiful, and how it all comes about practically and spiritually.
My curiosity inspired me to delve into scientific articles about the fascinating process of pearl formation, which, in turn, led me to explore what the Scriptures say about pearls. I learned that only those grains of sand that penetrate a wounded oyster can begin the remarkable journey of becoming a pearl, as the formation of a pearl is fundamentally a wound-healing process.[1]
This revelation resonated deeply, drawing me to the profound connections between our personal wounds and the redemptive suffering of Jesus on the cross. In Him, we discover the essence of healing, transformation, and ultimate glorification. As it states, “He was pierced for our transgressions . . . and by his wounds, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Forty Days
Not many years ago, an intriguing study emerged involving scientists who placed magnetometers inside live oysters. Their goal was to track the movement of sand within the oysters to gain a deeper understanding of the pearl formation process. To their surprise, the scientists discovered a crucial element: there is always a full forty-days of stillness before the sand begins to spin and develop its new iridescent layers.[2] This period of stillness is essential for the pearl's preparation.
Wow! Of course, it’s forty days of preparation! I thought. This remarkable finding also offered profound biblical parallels. The number forty resonates deeply with Scripture, reflecting Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry and the Israelites’ forty years in the desert before entering the Promised Land (Matthew 4:1–11; Joshua 5:6). Just as a soul requires a time of preparation before actively engaging in God's kingdom work, the pearl, too, must undergo this forty-day stillness to be ready for its transformation. This underscores the necessity for us to retreat into God's presence, embracing the journey of sanctification and recognizing that true glorification must follow a period of quiet preparation.
Walking in the Footprint of His Name
Of all the shells I find on the beach, it has always been the oyster I seemed to ignore, that is, until now. To me, oysters used to resemble dark and scary mountains. But seeing the oyster now as a metaphor for our abiding in the Lord, where broken pieces are transfigured into pearly gems, I noticed for the first time that oyster shells look a lot like feet.
This was confirmed even more so after noticing how the oyster shells that had been worn down by the ocean’s waves, leaving only their iridescent pearly layer, were all shaped like soles. My thought progression about oysters- from seeing them as scary mountains to being abiding places for transformation and finally representing feet - led me to reflect on the long walk I had taken out of my own fear and brokenness and into the abiding place of God’s presence according to the “footprint” of His Name as Yahweh, the One in whom we become.
Suddenly, I felt grateful, even for the times of darkness when it was difficult to hear the Lord. I saw how returning to God after straying from the Way can feel a bit like entering a scary mountain. And I also found hope in knowing that God is at work even when it seems to me there had been no movement at all. Just like the shell fragment that enters the oyster, there must be stillness and cleansing before transfiguration in our lives can occur.
After all these inspiring realizations, I felt that God still had more for me to learn about these organic gemstones of the sea to apply to my own journey. Therefore, I delved deeper into the process of how a fragment transforms into a pearl. My heart was searching to know how my human brokenness could possibly become as valuable as a pearl in God's economy. I could see the connection in God’s Word between His kingdom and pearls, but I wanted to know how to engage actively in this process. I longed for this kind of redemption not only because I had experienced substantial losses in my adult life but also because I had taken on even more secondhand brokenness through my years of working with orphans and vulnerable children.
Through my research, I discovered that after forty days of stillness inside an oyster, each grain of sand begins to cycle or spin, receiving new chemical layers made from two different substances in an alternating fashion. One substance is a thick organic material made of protein, which, to me, speaks of living earthen materials, while the other is an inorganic iridescent layer known as nacre. Nacre is one of the strongest substances found in nature and is the defining characteristic of a pearl.[3] It seemed to me that the organic layer must represent our human work of faith, and the iridescent layer must symbolize God’s work of grace—especially since humans have struggled to replicate nacre despite numerous attempts by scientists.
I learned that of all the gemstones mentioned in the Bible, the pearl is the only one made of organic material. In my opinion, this must symbolize God’s kingdom work through His creatures and people on earth. Jesus Himself is described as the "pearl of great price." Matthew 13:45-46 illustrates the high value and spiritual significance of pearls: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Additionally, Revelation 21:21 showcases God’s people, united, at the end of days, as a stunning city with streets of pure gold and entryways of pearls. This imagery serves as a powerful reminder of hope, illustrating how our brokenness can be redeemed. When we surrender the fragmented parts of our lives to God, they can transform into radiant doorways that invite others into His presence for healing. These pearly doorways embody our powerful testimonies of transformation, drawing others to come and experience the healing that Jesus can provide. This is why our stories are so important. The testimonies of how God has redeemed our struggles are vital in inspiring and transforming the lives of others.
The first time I shared this message, Broken to Beautiful: Fragments Becoming Pearls, was in Guatemala, where I was teaching and providing soul care to groups of midwives who often work closely with survivors of domestic violence, some who had been survivors of violence themselves. When I returned to Guatemala, my own father gave me a dozen sets of pearls to gift to female survivors with whom I would meet as an image of how their stories mattered. After I spoke to a group of these survivor leaders, the women began referring to their personal testimonies as their "pearls,” understanding and embracing the truth that by sharing their stories they were gifting us their treasures of great price.
[1] [1] Sea of Cortez Pearls eStore. “How a Natural Pearl Is Born: From Myth to Reality,” n.d. https://cortezpearl.mx/pages/how-a-natural-pearl-is-born-from-myth-to-reality.
[2] Bob Yirka, “Researchers Find Proof That Oysters Turn Pearls as Part of Development Process,” Phys.org, July 15, 2015, https://phys.org/news/2015-07-proof-oysters-pearls.html.
[3] Emily Osterloff, “The Fish That’s Also a Pearl,” September 26, 2017, Natural History Museum, https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-fish-thats-also-a-pearl.html.