Jesus speaks of ‘the pearl of great price’ and exhorts us to seek it. We do not, however, find it through obedience to a prescribed set of ethics: ‘Do this. Don’t do that.’ Rather, we are called to be free, and freedom involves discovery. Each of us is a unique person and our task is to fulfil our particular destiny. We can only do this through suffering and joy, disillusion and fulfilment. Thus we find the pearl of great price and learn that the kingdom of heaven lies within us. At the end of our lives we should be able to say, like Jesus, ‘Abba, I have done the work which you gave me to do.’
