The Pearl
He Is – The Great I Am
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
MATTHEW 13:45–46 (NKJV)
A TREASURE
WORTH MORE
THAN ALL
THE WORLD
COULD EVER GIVE.
Scripture
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
MATTHEW 13:45–46 (NKJV)
“You’re my treasure.
You’re my rest.”
Lyrics (excerpt)
I was walking through my ordinary days
Counting all the little things I owned
Half a heart on every scattered trade
Never knowing I was almost home
Then I saw the pearl in the field
Everything I clung to had to yield
I would give it all
I would lay it down
For the treasure that I found
Jesus You’re the pearl in the field
Worth more than all the world could ever give
Take my heart my plans my every breath
You’re my treasure
You’re my rest
All I have I count as loss
For the joy beyond the cause
Every road I choose the cross
Just to have You
The Story Behind the Song
This song's story goes back to 2020, a year many of us will never forget. It was a season of waiting and uncertainty for our family. We were separated by immigration, Covid restrictions, closed borders, and all the emotions that came with being apart.
In the middle of that, my daughter got engaged.
Around the time of her engagement, her fiancé also bought her a beautiful pearl ring. When she shared it with me, the name came instantly: The Pearl.
The music suddenly had a story to carry, with Matthew 13 as its thread, because Jesus is the Pearl.
The song mirrors the parable through its focus on devotion and surrender, with the lyrics: “Everything I clung to had to yield” and “I would give it all / I would lay it down / For the treasure that I’ve found.”
It describes a shift from “ordinary days” and “borrowed dreams” to a life transformed by the discovery of mercy and the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven—of Jesus.
Ultimately, the purpose of The Pearl is to point hearts towards the incomparable worth of His Kingdom and encourage listeners to draw nearer to Jesus.
The Treasure Worth Everything
Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven as something so precious that when it is truly seen, everything else changes in value.
In Matthew 13, He tells of a man who discovers treasure hidden in a field and, for joy, sells everything he has to possess it. He then speaks of a merchant who finds one pearl of great price and sells all that he has to buy it.
The point is not that we can purchase Jesus or earn the Kingdom. It is about worth. When we truly see who He is, everything else begins to take its proper place.
There are things we hold tightly: plans, dreams, security, possessions, even the picture we have created of how our lives should look. Sometimes we do not realise how much we are holding until Jesus asks us to open our hands.
Paul expressed something similar when he wrote that he counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8). This does not mean that the people and good things God has given us have no value. It means that nothing takes His place.
Jesus becomes the treasure by which everything else is measured.
And perhaps that is the question this song leaves with us: If I have Jesus, have I recognised what I have found?
The heart of The Pearl is not really about giving things up. It is about discovering Someone whose worth is so great that surrender no longer feels like loss. We lay things down because we have found something greater.
Jesus, You are my treasure. You are my rest.
Pause and Reflect
- What are the things you are tempted to hold on to instead of surrendering to Jesus?
- In what area is the Lord inviting you to let go and choose His kingdom above all else?
- How can you keep your gaze on Jesus, the true treasure, in your everyday life?
A Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the pearl of great price.
Help me to see Your incomparable worth above everything else. Give me a willing heart to lay down what I cling to, and to choose You, again and again. Be my treasure, be my rest. Amen.