The beach is my happy place.  Well, one of them at least.  I love the sound of the waves, the feel of the warm sun on my skin and sand between my toes, and the smell of the salty breeze.  Could anything be more therapeutic?

We spend a lot of time walking the beach…any time of year, in fact (see about me).  My cl boy actually complains about having to spend too much time there.  We can walk for quite a while on our local beach, which also happens to be a particularly good spot for hunting for treasure – sea glass treasure, that is. To my husband’s chagrin, I also pick up other gems along the way: pretty stones, driftwood, and shells (though there are not many shells at this beach).  I now justify my rock collecting by using them as a sort of guest book.  When we have visitors, we have them sign a rock – at least when we remember *sigh* –  and we display them in a pretty bowl. My df girl and I have experimented with our treasures to create art pieces and jewelry, as well (thank you Pinterest!).

My favourite, by far, is still the hunt for beach glass, sometimes called “mermaid’s tears,” and the elation that comes with the discovery of the rare red piece, or the infrequent blue specimen. It’s amazing…bottles and dishes tossed away, get tumbled by the sea and become something to be desired.  Trash to treasure, so to speak. It can take seven to ten years in a constant surf environment for sea glass to “become” a lovely piece of frosted sea glass.

It occurred to me that beach glass isn’t so different from me.  It all starts with an ordinary, everyday object (or person, in my case).  God allows trials and tests in my life to break down the shell of my stubbornness, selfishness and pride.  His Word convicts and teaches me to love, to live in obedience and smooths my rough edges.  Little by little, like the tossing about in the crashing waves, this adversity is doing a magical thing.  It hurts a little (or a lot) at the time, but all the while He is with me, helping me to bear the pressures of life and pain associated with my transformation. Finally, I am polished till I am more like His dear Son. A precious jewel in His crown.

Unlike the glass, I’m known by Him and a treasure in His sight before the polishing, even from the beginning of time.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
~2 Corinthians 4:7-10

You can see some ideas for beach treasures on my Pinterest boards:  beachy {sea glass & pebbles}, beachy {driftwood}, and some of my other beachy boards.