Coco Chanel is known for saying that a woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls. I couldn?t agree more. We refer to wise words as ?pearls of wisdom?, but you don?t want to ?cast pearls before swine?, of course, so be careful to share that wisdom with one who will be appreciative.
Pearls are highly prized as a gem and have been for centuries. They are the classic after-five accessory, along with the little black dress, for those who value the retro style of Audrey Hepburn and Coco herself.
The formation of pearls has become almost cliché and second only to diamonds in the ubiquitous analogies to hardship and pressure creating beauty. Unlike so many other precious gems, pearls are formed not in the earth, but inside a living creature. And because pearls are the product of a biological process, their formation strikes a chord with us, reminding us that beauty can come from the friction and hardship of life if we simply use what comes our way to make something strong and beautiful on the inside. The oyster takes an irritant between layers of its shell and covers it with more of the substance that it uses to make the shell itself. Like making dandelion soup from the weeds your kid brings in from the yard.
So ropes and ropes of pearls represent years and years of irritating people, problems, and problematic circumstances that have been assimilated into our lives, where we apply character qualities from within to create a life of value and substance. Pearls of wisdom can only come from years of learning from sometimes very negative experiences; this is why they?re so valuable. We?ve emerged on the other side of tragedy or heartache to the glimmer of the future and beauty in the present.
How do you turn the negative aspects of life into something beautiful?
