The man who found the Pearl had already Sacrificed … just in his search for the Pearl. Pearl hunting involved immense danger. You don’t just walk along a beach to find them. Oysters generally thrive at a debth of about 40 feet, and it those days there was no scuba gear. Back in Jesus’ day, A pearl diver would tie a large rock to his body and jump over the side of a little boat, allowing the weight of the rock to carry him down to the oyster beds. He risked danger from sharks, moray eels and other creatures to scour the mud below for oysters. An average of only one oyster in a thousand contains a pearl. All the while, he had to hold his breath and hope he wouldn’t drown.
But if you found a Pearl, especially if you found The Pearl, you had it made. Pearls were perceived in the first century in much the same way we view diamonds today. They were the most valuable gem in the world at that time. If you owned a pearl, you owned a fortune.