Most of us do not think of snails as being beautiful but only a pest in our gardens. It is true that many things in God’s creation outwardly appear ugly to us, but God sees an inward beauty in them, sometimes visible to us only under a microscope.
Even the common garden snail has a rather pretty spiraled house on its back. The outside of its shell is skin-like, the middle is much thicker, and the inside is coated with a thin, smooth, shiny surface. It has been designed by the Creator to provide a secure, comfortable home.
Among the thousands of kinds of snails in the world, some live on land, others live in water, and many others spend their lives in trees. A number have very beautiful, valuable shells which some people collect. These include shells from some marine species with beautiful knobs, ridges, and spirals. Among these beauties, the cowrie and olive varieties are common in southern waters. In Hawaii and other Pacific islands, tree snails abound with very pretty markings.
When the common garden snail hatches from its underground egg, it is fully formed, complete with a paper-thin tiny shell. It must immediately find food. Although it has poor eyesight the Creator gave it a keen sense of smell which it uses to find what it needs. This is one of the bad things about this snail. Working usually at night, its tiny tongue, which is covered with thousands of little hooks and sharp teeth, makes quick work of destroying tender plants and flowers.
Another objection to snails is that they leave sticky and unsightly trails behind them. This trail, made by mucus from glands in their bodies, makes a soft cushion which is elastic, moist and so tough that they can crawl over the sharp edge of a razor blade and not be cut! It has been supplied by the Creator to protect the soft, tender underparts of the snail from the dry, rough surfaces it crawls over.
But not everything about snails is bad. Some people consider certain kinds as very good food. The shells of brightly colored snails are made into jewelry, buttons and other decorative objects. Also, there is one called the decollete which, instead of eating plants, kills and eats garden snails, so is a real friend to farmers and gardeners.
Can it be that the Lord cares about little creatures like these? We are sure He does, for the Bible tells us, “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord.” Psalms 145:9,109The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. 10All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. (Psalm 145:9‑10).
But more than this, He has a special care for each person who has accepted Him as Lord and Saviour and has trusted in His work on Calvary’s cross to take away his or her sins. Of these He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.” John 10:27,2827My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27‑28). Is He your Good Shepherd?
ML-03/20/1983