12 Pearls of Christmas, Part One

“The artist must be in his work as God is in Creation, invisible and all-powerful, one must sense him everywhere but never see him.”

Gustave Flaubert

God, the artist and designer of Creation, is reported to be omnipresent. Omni is a prefix of Latin origin meaning all or universal.

God’s omnipresence is made known in the psalms when the psalmist declares in Psalms 139 vss 7 – 10, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”

I am reminded of the presence of the gifted artist of Creation in pearls. Pearls remind me that however miserable human emotional conditions can feel, the gifted artist of Creation is always up to something for which inspiring beauty will be the result.

Pearls are the result of irritants like sand in seawater invading the shell of living oysters. To protect themselves, oysters coat the irritants with a substance called nacre (pronounced nac kerr). The end result is a product of beauty appreciated across the world. It is the pearl.

Pearls are like people. We come in all colors and designs. Some of us when we experience physically and emotionally painful disappointments break down and fall apart. Others of us refuse to allow the same experiences to define us. The same are the ones whose love and beauty is constant even when challenged by the experiences of life going through physically and emotionally painful moments. These have the moments. The moments do not have them. Where these sense no beauty, they create their own just like pearls.

The painful experience of Apache women suffered and survived is believed stored in stones that are both black and translucent. The black Obsidian stones are called Apaches Tears. It is believed the Great Spirit so honored the suffering of Apache women during the European Conquest of North America, their tears were suspended in Obsidian Black Translucent stones.

Others believe pearls to be the tears of the gods. Others think of them as dewdrops filled with moonlight that fell into the ocean and were swallowed by oysters.

Pearls are a reminder that the artist of Creation never wastes a hurt in the oyster or in women. Beauty always follows where love and beauty choose to live. My gift to you this Christmas will be the gift of 12 Pearls, 12 extraordinary women from Trinidad-Tobago, India, and Amsterdam; Oregon, California, and Arizona; Ohio, Louisiana, and Florida; who embody the artist of Creation’s finest work. If you want to experience a moment’s gift of love and beauty that will inspire your 2011 Christmas, stay tuned for Part Two when you meet 12 Pearls.


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