Here is a merchant who knows his business, who is a connoisseur of pearls. He knows what he is looking for: the right lustre, shape, size, and colour.
We may be searching for security, wisdom, something that has lasting value, but we do not know where to look. God in his mercy causes us to hear the gospel, and he awakens us to see the glory of Christ. We grasp our real problem: that we are alienated from God, that our sin is going to take us to hell, that sin resides within us and he are its slaves, that there is nothing we can do to cancel our debt to God, and that all attempts to reform our character must fail. We see that God is against us because we have broken his law, and his law can never be relaxed. Then we understand that Christ has satisfied the justice of God by dying in our place and taking our punishment, that he has purchased eternal life for us, that he has taken away the wrath of God against us. We realise what treasure this is. If I could find him, have a new life, know that I know him, what a wonderful thing it would be! He is indeed the pearl of great price, and is not worthy to be compared to anything in this world. He gives what the world cannot give, and we must be ready to party with the whole world in order to obtain him. Amazingly, that is the transaction which God is willing to make with sinners. They must put to death their sin and lose their lives in this world in order that they may find eternal life in Christ. They will then receive pardon from God and a new nature and the gift of eternal life. Christ is able to transform our lives. We trust our souls to him, and give up the old sinful life, and now his searching days are over.
As an illustration of this, think of academics, scientists, and the new understanding that comes and torpedoes what they already know. Take for instance a doctor in the last century. He operates with the limited knowledge that he already has, and then along comes germ theory. Will he jettison what he has been working with up till now? He has to, however painful, or he will be ridiculed. He must give up all his existing knowledge in order to realign himself with the new understanding. So with us. I wrongly imagine that if there is a God, he will have us all in heaven. But then I hear the gospel and have to let go of my wrong ideas. I have to sell them. I must become like a little child and learn all over again.
I have to give up my self-righteousness. I thought I was better than others. I have found the great pearl. This is the end of my search. The merchant had sold all he had. It was an irreversible purchase. So in coming to Christ. Once you have done this you will never be lost. You will never regret it. To have and to know him, to give up your government of yourself: that is what you need. Paul so well placed among the Jews, very proud, influential, but in coming to Christ he said, ‘I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ’ (Philippians 3:8).