Pearls are made in wildly messy circumstances. They are in oysters at the bottom of an ocean or river under mud and muck. Then, a threat enters their shell. Something as small as a grain of sand invades the oyster. That is when the magic starts!
The oyster smothers the threat with this almost miraculous substance called “mother of pearl.” The substance is lighter, but stronger than concrete. Layer after layer, the oyster covers the threat, and before you know it, you have a precious pearl.
I learned all of this, because last Thursday, GraceWorks put our pearls on and celebrated our 30th anniversary in style with an incredible fundraising dinner! There, I spoke about how the pearl, a traditional 30th anniversary gift, is really a story of transformation.
The story of the pearl reminds me of our neighbors. They bring the threats they face to GraceWorks. We surround them with incredible relief with our Food, Shelter, and Support programs to stabilize the threat. But, more importantly, we introduce them to the miraculous substance they already have – Jesus. We have witnessed Him turn thousands of messy circumstances into beautiful pearls over our 30-year history for our neighbors, and for GraceWorks.
Here are two transformative stories we shared at the dinner.
GraceWorks is like a pearl herself. She has weathered a lot in 30 years. Tough economies, high demand, floods, tough losses, people who left, building insecurity, pandemics, and more. But man, oh man – she is one of the most precious pearls I have ever seen! God has turned all these threats into something I wear proudly every day.
Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a pearl of great price. So valuable, that a merchant sold everything he had to purchase it. I can tell you, with the glimpses of the kingdom I get to witness at GraceWorks every day, where do I sign?!!! I’ll sell it all for His kingdom. It transforms all the ugly into something beautiful.
Ways to Engage This Month
If you missed the dinner, want to celebrate our 30 years, or just want to be a part of more stories like Mia’s and Carrie’s – we have a match on the table! We are about $30,000 away from our goal.
You can give here:
We also, and most importantly, invite you to pray with us. A few prayers for this year:
- Thank God for our founders. Specifically, their grit, wisdom, bravery, and vision.
- Praise God for all He has delivered us from in 30 years!
- Pray for continued grace for our neighbors and our ministry.
Thank you for 30 years of support and love!