PEARL

By JW Butcher

Pearl is a moving short story that explores themes of good and evil.

Embark on a journey to a place where fear and faith collide, in this tale that presents a new twist on an old fable. This saga of renaissance players reveals how one small change in a person’s life choices can make the difference between a path of love and kindness or one of bitterness and unforgiveness.

For individual or group studies. Whether you enjoy this book for personal growth or in a group study, discover the true power of forgiveness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385001743

JW Butcher

Butcher felt drawn to create fantasy, fiction, and action-adventure material that audiences can feel comfortable, not embarrassed, to own. Stories that contain sound storylines and worthy characters who don’t believe in luck, but in destiny.

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PEARL

JW BUTCHER

EDITOR AND WORKBOOK CONTRIBUTOR

– CJ BUTCHER

THIRD EDITION

Copyright © 2023 JW Butcher.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0172-9 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0173-6 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0174-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023911941

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/11/2024

To our Church family who have continued to provide unheralded support through the mountain tops and valleys of life. I am truly grateful, and I’m certain this book would never have had the chance to be produced were it not for those beautiful, gracious souls.

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgment

Pearl

Afterword

Your Story/Your Journey

Personal Notes

About the Author

PREFACE

Many of us live inside our safe zone when interacting with others, and rarely venture outside those boundaries. But what if real growth comes at times when we risk our own security to do what may seem daunting, but we know it to be truly good and right? And what if our decisions at those painful forks in the road are the very choices that ultimately determine our destiny?

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I want to start by thanking my amazing spouse, whose energy and passion inspired me to bring this story to life!

I must also thank my two sons, who would patiently subject themselves to hours of my creative writing ideas. Thank you, boys, for listening!

I would be remiss if I did not mention my wonderful mom, who likewise has been enthusiastically listening to my stories since my childhood. Thank you, mom!

PEARL

Q ueen Ruby, long in years, walked to her wardrobe and unlocked a special drawer for her most-valued belongings. As she opened the drawer, she pushed aside the jewelry and picked up a small, tattered leather-bound item that simply read, Diary. She let her hand slowly slide over the edges of the book she held so dear. It contained a very important story: the story of how to remain beautiful forever. As she flipped open the book and slowly turned the pages, she was taken back many years; although, in truth, they seemed only moments ago …

It was a cool and damp evening as Queen Ruby sat at her vanity. She opened the jewelry case that she’d had specially