The Links at Pebble Beach

O blows that smite,
O hurts that pierce this shining heart of mine!
What are ye but the Master’s tools
Forming a work divine.

The mythical reputation of Pebble Beach Golf Links is matched only by the seaward lay of the course that stretches along the Pacific coast making even the worst shot better because it is, after all, at Pebble Beach. One of the Holy Grails of golf, pros and duffers alike are “encouraged” to book early (as much as 18 months in advance) to avoid “disappointment.”

• A nights stay in the economy hotel? $600

• A round of golf? $500, but that includes your cart

• A caddy, (recommended because of “the greatest walk on earth”)? $75 plus gratuity

• Saying that you played Pebble Beach?  Priceless.

The Old Course in Scotland, Ballybunion in Ireland, Augusta National, The Blacks of New York… all a golfers dream. The Links at Pebble stands apart from them all.

But long before there was a golf course, there was a Pebble Beach.  The underwater topography laid down in creation causes the breakers to draw the shore stones away while thundering and rattling the rocks without mercy back onto themselves.  Pulverized, smashed, and ground together, the stones are tossed incessantly back to the beach in an endless repetition of abuse day after day, year after year, decade upon decade until… only the Father knows.

But Pebble Beach is not about the abuse of stones.  It is what is produced in the natural tumbler.  The polished stones adorn mantles and desktops throughout the world.  Many have been made into one of a kind jewelry.  The stones of Pebble Beach are a unique find because of the purity and loveliness of God’s natural design.

Isaiah said,

“Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.”

There are plenty of rocks in the world that have little uniqueness or value.  Those that are hidden away deep in the earth are those that are the most sought after.  All are seen as valueless to the untrained eye until the grinding and polishing of the master craftsman.  Whether diamonds, rubies or sapphires, most are overlooked until presented under the lights of the jewelers case with a price tag that tells the real value.

The process though, the process!  Whether it is the pull and push of the ocean waves that over decades throws a stone of value upon a secret beach or the grinding wheel and the expert eye of the diamond cutter, the value is never seen until the work is done.

And you… what about your life?  Have you asked God to form you into a vessel worthy of His Name?  Have you ever prayed, “Lord, make me like You?”  Have you looked at the lives of the saints and desired to be of great value, too? There will never be a polish without the process.  Never a sparkle without the smiting blows.  Never a value without the anvil.  And in the hand of the Master, never a chip or a fracture without purpose and plan.

Why does God do this?  Because in your heart, you desire to be like Him.
“He knows the way I take. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold,” Job lamented in faith. Do you believe the lies that trials arrive at our door because of a lack of faith?  Expect that trials will often be announced by “Job’s friends,” those who want to point out the inadequacies of my faith instead of the faithfulness of my God.  Live in Hebrews 12 as well as Hebrews 11.

Away from the beach, below the par 3, fifth hole, Stillwater Cove escapes the violent thrashing of the waves. There, the rocks are not so pretty.  Because of the relative safety of the cove, the rocks have no value.  Above them, the golfers  go on about life, chasing a little white ball, and find no value or worth in that which has never been polished.  The golf course above is surreal in it’s false beauty.  As useless as the stones below, so also is the pursuit that many find above.

But the stones that have been crushed and polished have the real value.  In the end, that is where you will also find your worth.  Whom God loves, friend, He disciplines.
“Nearly all God’s jewels are crystallized tears.”