ARE YOU A PIG OR A JEWELER?

Friend Helen and I were solving the world's problems when I went to visit yesterday and she told me, "You are casting your pearls before swine." I am sure you are all familiar with this scripture, but I have spent a lot of time today thinking it over.

Now personally I don't hate pigs, I even love a good pork chop or pork tenderloin. Well if I am totally honest, I only like pigs cooked and on the plate in front of me. I love animals and have been around quite a few varieties since my early childhood, but I am not interested in raising pigs. If you have never been to a hog farm, you have missed an experience. There are individuals around us that would tell you how clean a pig is. These individuals have never had to clean out the hog pen or looked at what the pigs eat. While a young girl, I had a friend that raised pigs for their 4H project. I would often go and visit "The Farm" where her Mammaw lived and the pigs were kept. THE ODOR WAS STAGGERING! Those animals loved to wallow in the mud and the nastier the mud the better. They would have it hanging from every square inch of their body and only their eyes escaped the coating. Even then there would be mud on their lashes around those eyes. The pigs were lazy animals lying around in the mud doing nothing until it came time to eat. The only action you ever saw was the stampede to the feed trough and the fights over the slop. NASTY ANIMALS-STINKY BIG TIME!

Now the jeweler on the other hand deals in fine gems and stones, including the beautiful pearl. Flawlessly white, without a blemish. God's creation from a grain of sand. TOTALLY AMAZING! Real Pearls are not found on every corner and the pure flawless pearls are a prized possession. You take these pearls and string them on a silk or gold thread with a golden clasp. You then wear these pearls close to your heart, always within your reach. It is such a joy to rub those pearls and feel their caress against your skin. Truly a possession of rich and lasting beauty.

Why then would you not cast your pearls before swine. The pig lives in the mud which is dark and dirty. He is always surrounded with this dirt and grime and stink. This is the pig's world and he likes it. If you threw your beautiful prized pearls into the pen with the pigs, it would be for naught. He would sniff around it, maybe for a second, but once he discovered it was not food nor mud, he would ignore it. The pearls would become trampled under the pigs' feet and covered with mud. The pearls would disappear and become part of the mud and stink of the pig's pen. You have thrown your valuable possession into the muck and mire of the pig's world and it has been cast aside and lost.

I plan to keep my pearls close to my heart and carefully guard them. I will share the pearls and show the pearls, but only to those that understand the value of the pearls. It is my desire to gain more pearls and I plan to continue the search for those pearls. What a gift from God-the beautiful and precious pearls of His creation. I will honor and treasure the gift of the pearls and be thankful for the blessing of their possession. My pearl beyond price is surely my dearest possession. I am blessed!