A decade or so ago, our daughter spent two semesters teaching English to native French high schoolers on the island of Corsica. Although her assignment sounded exotic, romantic, and adventurous, those adjectives reflected only one aspect of her experience. Alone and far from home, Susanne also wrestled with conflict, loneliness, and isolation. She made the soul-satisfying effort to join in the fellowship of a church family, which required an arduous journey each Sunday. Another way she searched for beauty and meaning was by collecting sea glass along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. The sea glass she brought home is one of my most treasured of her souvenirs.
Lula Gatti, in A Complete Guide to Sea Glass: Formation, Types, and Uses, describes the best beaches for finding sea glass as those with “a combination of rocky shorelines, strong waves, and a history of human activity that has led to glass being discarded into the water.” Gatti lists these three components necessary for the formation of sea glass:
Rocky or Pebble Shores: Beaches with plenty of rocks and pebbles help create the abrasive environment necessary for smoothing out glass. Sand alone doesn’t provide enough roughness, so areas with rocky or pebbly shorelines are prime spots for sea glass to form.
Strong Wave Action: Beaches with powerful, consistent waves are great for tumbling glass. The constant movement of the water helps break down the sharp edges of glass and smooths it over time. Coastlines that experience regular tides or are exposed to strong ocean currents tend to produce more sea glass.
Historic Dumping Sites: Unfortunately, many of today’s sea glass beaches were once used as dumping grounds for trash. While this isn’t a positive environmental legacy, it means that these areas have had glass in the water for decades, allowing it to be naturally shaped into sea glass. Old seaside towns, harbors, or areas near historic shipping lanes often have rich deposits of sea glass as a result.
Gatti also gives tips on when the best pieces of sea glass are most likely to be found:
After Storms
Low Tide
Early Mornings
Isn’t it intriguing that something once considered ordinary, useless, and discarded could -- through a painstaking process of pummeling and abrasion -- become something of beauty and value, and show up best after storms, at low tide, and in the early morning? After all, these conditions create, test and indicate one’s true character!
So, What Can We Learn?
Recently, a close friend gave me a copy of Carolyn Vinto and Darlene Russo’s book He Stills the Waters: Devotional Thoughts Inspired by the Shore. It contains an interesting parallel of sea glass to the Christian life:
Sea glass is a wonderful picture of the Christian life. We may have had a humble beginning. Then we may have been broken and even cast away. The enemy of our soul seeks to destroy. Yet the plan of our Redeemer is something beautiful. It may seem so improbable that the crashing and scouring wave after wave, could turn us into something attractive. The time in the sea can feel like an eternity. But what emerges is something much more highly sought after than a piece of sea glass. The sharp edges are gone. Joy, a spirit of praise, a heart of abundance, the new creation of the Master, will accompany us through the rest of the journey on this side of eternity (47).
James, a brother of Jesus, seems to be alluding to this process when he reminds us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1: 2-3 NIV).
So, dear friends, be encouraged. Our faithful Father will allow “All, but Only” whatever pummeling and pounding which will smooth our rough edges and create lasting beauty and eternal value in our lives.
Father,
Thank You for the way You take that which is discarded, damaged, and pummeled by the waves of life and make it into something beautiful. For every test of faith we face, may we emerge victorious and exhibit the translucent beauty of joy that comes from the indwelling power of Your Holy Spirit.
In the name of the One who is with us in the waves and on the shore, Amen.
The Wobbly Warbler invites you to persevere as you sing along and learn James 1:2-3.
Or you may prefer to sing along with the Gaithers’ rendition of “Something Beautiful, Something Good.”
After a trying time, my family found a great harvest of conch shells on the morning we left the beach. We saw rainbows all during our week there. Every morning there was a beautiful sunrise. One night we witnessed a full moon with cloud formations that took our breath away. I knew that God was assuring us of His Presence during a time where we were anxious and discouraged. This was a year ago, and I would love to say He has revealed His plan, but our family is still struggling with the same issues. However, we choose to be encouraged as He continues to show us He hears our petitions and watches over us. And each time I see a sunrise, I am reminded that His mercies are new each morning!
Thank you for the sea glass story!
After a weekend at Table Rock State Park, we are home. I’m walking on my driveway to get back into the basics of a normal routine. I love the fact that this weekly devotional and the verse in song are both available to hear as I walk. It truly is a perfect pair to do something I have to do at the same time something I want to do…exercise and hear your sweet rendition.
The sea glass analogy is perfect for anyone’s life. The beauty that you put into your reflection enables me to see the beauty around me even more clearly. Thank you, Dalene, for your selfless routine of helping us begin each new week and also be in step with our Lord. Blessings and love, Ginger.