The Pearl of Great Price
Learning from the parables
by Janice Ross
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To consider that we are God’s special treasure and that he wants to be our special treasure too.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (The Pearl of Great Price) and the means to display them.
Assembly
- Tell the following story.
Once upon a time, there was a man who bought and sold things that were very valuable. These things weren’t made of gold or silver or diamonds: they were pearls. Do you know what a pearl is?
Listen to a range of responses. - Show Slide 1.
Some pearls aren’t worth much money, whereas others are very valuable. The man in the story was always on the lookout for valuable pearls.
Show Slide 2.
Here is some modern-day jewellery made from pearls. - Ask the children whether they know where pearls come from.
Listen to a range of responses. - Show Slide 3.
Explain that pearls come from deep, deep down in the ocean. They are made very quietly inside a shell like this, an oyster shell. - Introduce the word ‘bivalve’. Explain that an oyster shell is made up of two parts that join together. Inside this safe little house, a pearl is formed.
- Show Slide 4.
To find pearls, divers must dive deep down into the ocean and bring them up. The divers who look for pearls are very experienced. They hunt behind rocks, in crevices, even under the sand. They collect the shells in a bag around their arm and bring them up to the surface of the water. Then, they carefully prise them open. Sometimes, there is a pearl inside, and when there is, they are very excited. - The man in today’s story knew a good pearl when he saw one, and he had just spotted one that a diver had brought up.
‘Hold on to that pearl,’ he said, ‘I definitely want to buy it.’
The man decided to sell everything that he owned to buy the pearl. He rushed home and started to clear his house of all of his possessions. - Ask the children what they think the man might sell.
Listen to a range of responses.
In the end, he sold everything that he owned . . . even his house! - The man counted up his money and was relieved that he now had enough. He rushed back to the diver and handed over all the money. Now the pearl was his! He was overjoyed. It was such a special treasure that it was worth giving everything that he had to own it.
Time for reflection
Jesus told a similar story to his friends because he wanted them to have the greatest treasure ever. The treasure that Jesus was talking about is all the joy, peace and love that God wants to give us.
Christians believe that God wants us to understand that knowing him is worth more than all the riches in the world. They also believe that God wants us to know that, in his eyes, we are each a special treasure, so much so that he was willing to give up his son’s life to find us.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for this story that Jesus told.
Help us to learn that real treasure is not things that bring lots of money,
But the treasure that you offer: treasures of joy, love and peace.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Love is something (Magic penny)’ by Malvina Reynolds, available at: https://youtu.be/1Zx5iSExD9I (2.56 minutes long)
