In Exodus, God gives instructions for the priests’ garments & accessories. One in particular is the breastpiece with 12 stones in 4 rows to indicate the 12 tribes of Israel:
| carnelian | chrysolite | beryl |
| turquoise | lapis lazuli | emerald |
| jacinth | agate | amethyst |
| topaz | onyx | jasper |
In Revelation, a place named The Holy City, the New Jerusalem is described – this is the place where God dwells, among His people. The foundations of the walls were decorated with 12 stones:
The lists are specifically ordered, but you may notice (as I did) that most of the stones show up in both lists. The carnelian is a red stone, similar to a ruby; the lapis lazuli is a blue stone, often known also as sapphire. According to Wikipedia, the only difference between a sapphire and a ruby is the color – both are the mineral corundum (aka aluminum oxide).
At this moment, I don’t have the time to follow up on the two lists, but in reading the Revelation verses, I noted one more thing, of immeasureably higher importance: There are 12 gates in the 12 walls, each made of one pearl…
Pearls are formed by shelled sealife (clams, oysters, mussels) when something gets (literally) under their skin and they build up an isolating guard against it. Natural pearls are very rare, and finding them takes opening a lot of shells.
So – if in fact the foundations for the walls of the city are direct correlations to the stones on the priest’s breastplate representing the 12 tribes of Israel, then one can note that heritage and strict adherence to the law are as walls between God and man. We simply do not have what it takes to be righteous and worthy of God’s favor, no matter how hard we may try or how strictly legalistic we may be.
Yet… (the good part)… God has installed gates – gates made of pearl, a precious stone born of suffering and exposed in death. Jesus suffered and died on our behalf, and said of Himself, I am the way, no one comes to the Father but through Me. It is through His sacrifice that we may enter, and it demands our sacrifice as well. Jesus speaks of a narrow door which will one day be closed. Those outside, having tried to get through it, will cry out that they listened to the teachings and shared in the fellowship – but all for nothing.
It is in the authenticity of the relationship with Him, in caring as He does for people, in being willing to suffer and even to die so that we may be changed to match His character and carry out our part of His mission – in laying down our own lives for Him, as He laid His down for us… This is how we are able to walk, under Jesus’ arm, through the gates of pearl into the dwelling place of God.