A Pearl of Great Price

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46 ESV). When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers. The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum, on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold. So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about midafternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along that he still threw it away. So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away. This story is like the story of many people’s experience with “religion.” The promise of God has always been for abundant life. When you became a Christian you were told how wonderful your life would be. And you were told how many things you had to do to possess that wonderful life. If you were like most of the others who heard the story of this “touchstone” you began your search. You picked up every pebble you could find. You attended church with great faithfulness. You gave of your time, talent, and energy. You learned all the right things to do and say. Yet, you somehow never really found the freedom and peace you searched for. The touchstone was not in your grasp. Every pebble was still cold. Then one day someone told you about grace and you reached to hold it in your hand. It was the message of the unfathomable love of God, who always accepted you, who always loved you, and who always held you near His heart. If you were quick enough to realize the treasure in your hand, you drew it to yourself and began to see your life transformed. If you were so steeped in your traditional habits of religion, you may have thrown it into the sea. If you drew it to yourself, then you have already begun the greatest journey you could have imagined. However if you threw it into the sea by mistake, it is still not too late to retrieve it. Hold out your hand and ask God to place the touchstone of His grace back into your hand. Accept it and allow the presence of the Holy Spirit to transform you now!