What does the cross, suffering and a pearl have to show us?

A blog I follow and a site I absolutely love is The Vintage Pearl  I love their business practices and their creativity.  I saw this lovely cross from one of my instagram followers and fell in love with it.  It was so unusual.  I have never seen a cross like this. I promptly purchased it and it came lightening fast!

Some of you know I have been going through some very personal sad trials.  Today as I was thinking of Easter and the sacrifice Jesus made for us, something occurred to me:  The suffering He endured on the cross allowed us to have eternal life.  That sounds so common a statement, but as I was wallowing in my own sorrow about the betrayal and loss I have been experiencing, I realized that Jesus was betrayed and lost so much coming here to earth to suffer and die so that we might have eternity with Him.  I realized that He really DID understand.  That when I sit and feel sad about my situation, He is there with me consoling me, even if I don't understand or feel Him.

I then looked at the necklace.  The cross, with the crown of thorns, heart and pearl all suddenly meant something to me.

The cross-Jesus sacrifice for our sins
The crown-the suffering, shame, mockery, betrayal
The heart-all of it because His heart is toward mankind
The pearl- the beauty and preciousness of the gift of eternity, which comes from thee pain of the cross.

Just like a real pearl comes from the "pain" and irritation of an oyster. so our eternity comes from His suffering.  He coats us with His mercy, comfort and love so that one day we are a gem of such beauty that we can't even conceive it now.

This little necklace has ministered to me in a way I would have never expected.  Thank you Vintage Pearl!  And it is a limited piece, called Loved and Redeemed.  If you want one you should act quickly!  Check it out here.