Pearl in the Sand Paperback – 6 October 2020

This is such a good book. The story of Hagar hiding the spies of Israel and then her joining their ranks is written in the Bible. We also know that she married and became an ancestor of David and Jesus. The author speculates over Hagar's shame for being a harlot. The Biblical teaching that God views each of us like a precious pearl, no matter our past, is clearly explained. There are many people who need to read this message and this book.

A wonderful gift, arrived safely in perfect condition.

What can one say about Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar? One could say it’s outstanding, superb, and beautiful. And that is 100% true. Pearl in the Sand is an outstanding, superb, and beautiful story. But these adjectives just aren’t enough. This is my second time reading this novel, and I have to say, Pearl in the Sand was even more amazing the second time around. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly loved the book the first time I read it, but this second read blew me away. I guess it’s the place I’m in right now. I first read this book in 2016. Between 2016 and now my life has changed drastically — in some good ways, but mostly in very devastating ways. I believe in God with my whole heart, but this second time reading Pearl in the Sand has illuminated some really deep hurts that I’ve been hiding from Him, and I realize now that I have to give them over. And it is this — this ability for a fictional novel to raise a mirror to me and show me my hurts and sins, and to get me to stop hiding things from God, that makes Pearl in the Sand one of the most amazing novels ever written. I implore everyone to read this story, but go into it knowing that the Spirit is going to move and you will go on an emotional journey that will change, for the better, your relationship with God.There is so much contained within the pages of this novel that one review is not enough to convey the depth and breadth of this book. But, I will say that one of my favorite aspects to this story is the discussion on changing our perspectives that is weaved throughout the entire narrative. Early in this novel, Afshar illustrates a moment from Joshua, chapter 5. Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Moses passes, brings the Israelites across the River Jordan to the shores of Jericho. Everyone knows the story of Jericho’s walls falling, but if you’re like me, you may have forgotten that before the Israelites marched around the walls shouting and blasting their shofars, Joshua took a moment to assess the situation. Joshua drew near to the walls and looked up. When he looked up, he saw a Man suddenly standing before him with His sword drawn. Joshua walked up to the man and asked Him if He was a friend or foe. The Man said, “No; but I Am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come” (Joshua 5:14). To clarify, the Man is Jesus and the question Joshua was really asking was, “Are you going to fight with the Israelites or for the Canaanites?” Until the Man told Joshua who He was, Joshua’s perspective of the man was that he was a man, a common soldier. He had no idea he was standing next to THE Commander of God’s armies! But the BEST part of this perspective shift is Jesus’s response to Joshua’s question: “Are you friend or foe?” Jesus says,”NO.” What a startling answer. Jesus is the commander of the Lord’s armies. He doesn’t stand behind us in a fight. He stands before us. The question really is, “Who are you to Jesus? Friend or foe?” Too many times, we humans come at God believing HE is on our side. But doesn’t that actually make us gods trying to control God? In reality, God is God and it is we who need to be on HIS side. We must remember that God is the Boss. It’s when WE go to Him to hide under His pinions (Psalm 91) that we have Salvation, not the other way around.Pearl in the Sand is filled with many more amazing perspective shifts just like the one illustrated above. There are moments when Salmone’s whole paradigm changes and you just want to cheer. He basically becomes a whole new man! And when Rahab realizes who she truly is in God it is the BEST change in the entire story. Dear reader, you are going to need a BOX of tissue to get through Rahab’s heart transformation. It’s so, so good and quite cathartic. This book is amazing. If you love Biblical Romance, if you love history, if you love excellent storytelling, and/or if you love literature that’s transformative then Pearl in the Sand is definitely the novel for you!I received a copy of this novel in paperback form from the author, Tessa Afshar, in order to review. I also purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on October 5, 2020, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Pearl in the Sand is a beautiful novel of sacrifice and redemption. It is beautifully written. Read the story of Rahab in the Bible, then read this book. Though this is fictional, it gave me added respect for Rahab. God is good and He can use you.

I admit that despite being a Christian myself I have always turned my nose away from Christian media. I remember hating the days of being forced to watch awful shows like Veggie Tales in Sunday school and always felt that the rest of the media geared towards Christians must be unbearable. I always found the music particularly hard to suffer through.I became an ardent atheist in my teens and twenties and only returned to the faith when I lost my mother in my late twenties. I am trying to be a better person and better Christian though and have started reading my bible, albeit very slowly but surely. The story that so far has captured my interest more than any other of the Bible has been that of Rahab. I thought maybe reading a historical fiction book about the woman who I admired most from the Bible might help me find some interest in Christian books at least.This book was amazing. I did not expect to have such a good time reading this book nor did I think I would feel so profoundly inspired. I found Rahabs story to be riveting and awe inspiring. Her faith in God is greater than anyone’s I’ve ever known in real life. It’s made me reconsider my own relationship with God and how I should be versus how I’ve been. Just the way she and Salmone think of God and the lessons he is imparting on them makes me want to reconsider my own struggles and what God may have tried to teach me.This book has shown me that not only can Christian fiction be really good but that a book can also have the power to inspire you and make you really re-examine your own life and faith, or maybe in my case has been a lack thereof.