Parable of the Pearl

President Packer tells the parable of the pearl in such a way that motivates us to seek after doctrine.
"A collector of precious gems after a lifetime of searching, found the one gem he had looked for all his life. It was a pearl! He valued it above all the jewels in his collection.

It was his treasure. He was certain that nowhere in the world was jewel box worthy of this perfect gem, so he designed a box himself and commissioned the finest craftsmen to carve it. He hovered over their work. when the box was finished and lined with blue velvet, he put his precious pearl on display.

He stood by as people came to see it. He studied them and listened carefully to what they said. Soon he turned away in deep sorrow. It was the box they admired. It was the box that attracted them. To his great disappointment, only a few of them really saw the pearl." (Mission President Seminar, 22 June 1999)

The kingdom of heaven in like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Who, when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matt 13:45-46)

And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom. Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand. (D&C 88:77-78)

We hope that as you teach all these family home evening lessons, none of us will come away knowing more about the box and not appreciate the pearl.

Each member of our family must learn the doctrine. We learn the basic doctrines from the revelations and from each other. We must learn about the restoration, authority, covenants and ordinances.

There are really only about 4 or 5 basic doctrines of the Church and around them everything else revolves: the Atonement, the plan of happiness, the Godhead, priesthood and priesthood keys, and continuing revelation from Heavenly Father. These are eternal and unchanging truths. They never change. Doctrine answers the question why.

Principles are doctrinally based guidelines for what we ought to do. They answer the question what. Examples are the first principles and ordinances of the gospel: faith, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Rules or applications answer the question how. If we teach the doctrine and the principles associated with the doctrine, then our children and everyone else we teach will quickly understand the how.

President Packer also taught us that "true doctrine understood changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the dcotrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior." So let us ask ourselves in teaching our lessons, "what doctrine, if understood would help each child or person we teach not have difficulty following a rule.

So, I would like to challenge you to take any possible rule that your children or students might question. What is so great about asking the question behind the doctrine is not in just getting the answer. Go to the scriptures and look for the questions. Our fundamental role as parents and as teachers is to help those we teach act in accordance with principles. So let's become experts in asking inspired questions.

Joseph Smith taught us that the way he studied the New Testament was to try and identify the question the Savior was answering as he taught a principle.

The Savior was concerned with other elevated rules over doctrine as illustrated in Matthew 23:23 where we read "Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

On one occasion, Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught about Jacob's teachings with respect to looking beyond the mark and applied them to the Jews of Jesus' day. "They took the plain and simple things of pure religion and added to them a host of their own interpretations; they embellished with the added rites and performances; and they took a happy, joyous way of worship and turned it into a restrictive, curtailing, depressive system of rituals and performances. The living spirit of the Lord's law became in their hands the dead letter of Jewish ritualism."

Doctrine answers the question why and principles answer the question what. When we emphasize how to do something without reference to why we do it or what we do, we risk looking beyond the mark. We could fall into the trap described by Paul "for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2 Cor. 3:6) Those who are committed to seeing that rules are followed without reference to doctrine and principle are susceptible to looking beyond the mark. Our great challenge is to accept the Savior as the Redeemer of the world and avoid the theological blindness that comes when we look beyond the mark. The Savior promised is "Come unto me, ye blessed...there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my father." (Enos 1:27)

Family Home Evening Exercise:

1. Take a rule such as R-rated movies or attending all three meetings on Sunday or not swearing and identify it on the top of the triangle you draw.
2. Next identify the principle - the guidelines for implementing the doctrine....such as 1 Cor. 3:3 for the movie question...your body is a temple...inside and out.
3. Now look at the doctrine associated with the priniciple... the eternal truths that do not change...such as eternal life, the plan of happiness, etc.
4. Now practice teaching the doctrine, the principle and the rule and the see if the rule is more easily understood once it is put into perspective.