8 March | Youth
«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
Saniniu Laizer became rich overnight. The 52-year-old gold miner became a millionaire after selling the two largest tanzanites, a type of rare gemstone, that he found in Tanzania, a country in East Africa. One of them weighed 9.27 kg, and the other, 5.1 kg. The two stones earned Saniniu the sum of approximately 3.35 million dollars. When asked what he would do with so much money, one of the answers was this: “I want to build a school.” There is no denying that this discovery changed the life of that miner and, consequently, the life of the family and community to which he belonged.
Jesus once told a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. In it, the kingdom is portrayed as a pearl of great price. The dealer in the story sold everything he owned to acquire it, as the pearl he found was of inestimable value. It was the best investment that could be made. Because of this, the man did not think twice. He gave up his fortune to buy a single item: the pearl of great price.
This parable teaches us that the kingdom of God is more valuable than anything. It is worth giving up everything to earn it. Therefore, we cannot fail to take advantage of the opportunities we have to embrace this great blessing. We cannot run the risk of losing sight of it, even if it costs us a high price. Riches, fame, power, or any other earthly thing cannot be compared to what God has prepared for us. Whoever exchanges the world for the kingdom of God will never regret it. This is the safest business anyone can do in their life.
The world has many attractions for the heart that have not been changed. The enemy's temptations are shiny and try to overshadow the kingdom of God in our lives. Exchanging the kingdom of Heaven for the transitory pleasures of sin is giving up what is right and staying with what is wrong.
The wise will not choose that path. Even though the decision to fully embrace God's kingdom is considered strange by worldly standards, it is the right thing to do. Whoever makes this investment will have the incomparable profit of eternal life.