Precious Pearls

What happens to all my prayers – those that are not answered, and those that seem to make things worse than anyone ever anticipated? Surely they are still sustaining me. Perhaps there will be unexpected answers to them, answers I may not even be aware of for years. I cannot believe they are wasted or lost. I do not know where they have gone, but I believe God holds them, hand outstretched to receive them like precious pearls. ~Madeleine L’Engle