PRECIOUS JEWELS

Atlantic Jewels, Wrightsville Beach, NC

These shell fragments were deposited by the relentless waves of the Atlantic Ocean and remind me of the stones found in colorful Colorado creek beds that have been tumbled and polished by ancient glaciers and the relentless snow melt from the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The long rays of the morning sunrise reflect and penetrate the glistening translucent remnants of the long forgotten sea creatures that succumbed to the harsh environment on the ocean floor.

When faced with the daunting choices of the many shells deposited by the pounding waves, the first inclination is to go for the “perfect” ones and disregard those that are “broken and disfigured”. Close examination reveals that even the “perfect” shells that you have gathered are still somewhat imperfect in shape and color, but each one is still truly unique and beautiful in its own right. Once you have tired of collecting the “perfect” shells at your feet, you begin to notice the uniqueness and hidden beauty of the scattered and broken shells left behind by the bearer of the foot prints walking somewhere ahead of you.

Jesus recognized that we all live in a mortal broken world— broken lives, dreams, homes, relationships, bodies and minds. During the last supper he broke bread and instructed us to eat it as symbolic of his body “broken for you” and drink the wine as symbolic of his blood, “shed for you”. God sacrificed his temporary human and divine life so that we will have an eternal spiritual life. He taught us to help and comfort those precious spirits that have been broken by life’s crashing waves and storms and appreciate the beauty that resides in all of us.