Pearls of Grace

"As the oyster grows in size, its shell must also grow. The mantle is an organ that produces the oyster's shell, using minerals from the oyster's food. The material created by the mantle is called nacre. Nacre lines the inside of the shell.

The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritates the mantle... The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The man­tle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl." (http://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/question630.htm)

As our souls grow, so does the grace which shelters us. Mary's mantle channels God's grace, enlarging our shell in line with our growth. This grace is only as good as the minerals in the food we feed it. Prayer, the sacraments, good reading: all these things provide the minerals for Mary to win us grace. There are times when we find irritating events or people in our lives which try to separate us from our shell of grace. Let us take the example of the oyster and place our irritations, pains and aggravations under Mary's mantle, that she may coat them in grace. It is God's will that these irritants become pearls of great price.

Never forget that for a pearl to be made, the oyster must be open and vulnerable to the irritants. If we are closed to all inconveniences and sufferings, we cannot have pearls of grace.