Perhaps the most beautiful of all sea snail shells is one that is not usually thought of as belonging to a snail; it is the queen conch. You may have one of these prized, heavy shells in your home. It is spiral shaped and beautifully colored in creamy pink with rose and tan. The large end of the shell is worth examining. It has large, star-shaped spikes spiraling with gradually smaller ones until it ends in a point. The fan-like lip of the shell is lovely with its pretty colors. No one but the Lord God, the Creator of all, could design such a beautiful home for such a lowly creature.
Conches live in the world’s shallow seas where they eat plants and grasses that grow in shallow water and algae that grows on rocks. They lie flat on the ocean floor, withdrawn into their shells except when traveling or eating. A conch’s meaty body can move in and out of the shell but remains attached to it. Two long, antennae-like stalks emerge first, and each of these has an eye on its tip. Its mouth is underneath these two stalks. It uses a claw on its body to move about on the sea bottom. Its shell is made from calcium carbonate which is secreted from a part of the conch’s body.
The queen conch lays many eggs in long strings. About a week later, the young veligers hatch and are already equipped with miniature shells. They swim in the ocean for about three weeks before settling to the bottom to develop mature bodies. Most will grow to be about a foot long and weigh about five pounds.
An interesting feature of the conch’s life is its friendship with the little conchfish that swims right into the conch shell in the daylight and then leaves at night. Another visitor is a small crab that clings to the conch’s lip and remains there, gathering food that floats by.
The Bible tells us, “Thou [the Lord] hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:1111Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)). We can understand His pleasure in these creatures and the beautiful homes He has given them. But did you know that He has taken pleasure in creating you? He tells us this in Proverbs 8:3131Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:31): “My delights were with the sons of men.”
His pleasure in creating us does not end there. It is also His desire that we find our delight in Him, the One who is so loving to us that He died to save us from our sins. Have you answered the wonderful invitation of God, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him” (Psalm 37:45)?
ML-12/15/2002