‘O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine Hand upon me.’ (Psalm 139:1-5) Those pearly white gates. The development of each and every pearl is a painful process, one triggered by an irritant going into the shell of an oyster or mollusk. It is a private suffering that is experienced under the protection of its hard shell which produces a uniquely profound, beautiful treasure. Those pearly white gates: a visible and triumphant welcoming to us, specifically telling us that every single thing we experience on earth, and go through, has significance and is highly valued by our Creator, the Great I Am. As Revelation 21:21 describes, ‘And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.’ Praise King Jesus, how great is His Protection!