The Coral Beads - Be Not Deceived

A few years ago we took our family and my mother on a 3 week trip to the South Pacific. While in Fiji my mother bought some pearl and coral jewelry. By the time we arrived back home one of the tiny coral beads had fallen off of one of her earrings. She was devastated and because I was an armature jewelry maker she asked me if I could fix it.

I went to work using polymer clay, mixing textures and colors, attempting to create something that could be made into a bead that looked exactly like the other coral beads on the earring.

After several experiments I hit upon a perfect match. Lovingly, I shaped and baked the bead. I spent hours sanding, polishing and varnishing it so that it would take on the sheen of the genuine coral beads. Then I glued the little bead onto the earring.

The next day I took it to my mother. I asked her if she could tell which bead was the counterfeit coral. She took out her reading glasses and closely inspected the earring. Finally she said with surprise, "I can't tell the real ones from the one you made."

Afterward I thought about what I had accomplished and I wondered if this was exactly how the adversary worked his medium, used his tools, to create fakes. Heavenly Father created the real coral beads, but the fake bead was hone slowly, deceptively, with the intent of fooling those who looked upon it.

At first glance, and even upon closer inspection, it looked just as pleasing as the real thing. In fact, the only way to determine which bead was the counterfeit would be to take it apart, look deeper into its makeup and perhaps, to crush it. Applying pressure to the real beads would cause the molecules within its structure to coalesce, to work together to fend off the opposing force. But under pressure, the clay bead would break apart and become thousands of disorganized, worthless particles.

The adversary is a capable creator of the dark arts. He can produce deceptive fakes that at first glance look as pleasing as the truth. I'm sure that he first notices where we are weak, lost and broken, then he goes to work to hone and polish a deceptive gem to fill the hole in our sole.

In a world full of imitations we need to be ever vigilant, ever aware of the deceptions that confront us in our life. Those deceptions will come to us through our areas of weakness, and take advantage of our fear. The evil reproduction may appear pleasing on the surface, but underneath it is is filled with barbs that will hook our spirit and drag us into the depths of despair.

We must protect ourselves continually by staying close to the Lord, learning his will and doing everything we can to remain worthy to receive guidance from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes living the gospel feels like pressure, but if we remain true we will be strengthened for our faithfulness. We will be better able to distinguish between truth and deception.

Karen Dougherty