Swine, pearls, be transformed

Origen went on: I ask the hearers not to become the cause of my being charged with setting pearls of such size — which we try to gather as good merchants — before those who wallow in the uncleannesses of bodies, and who for this reason are called swine. For I would say that the one who is always rolling in bodily things and wallowing in the mire of life, and not hastening toward the clean life, toward the holy, is in all a swine.

If then, the kingdom of the heavens being likened to a man, a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, I find the beautiful pearls, and having bought them with toils and watchings I throw them to pleasure-loving souls, and to those wallowing in the mires around the bodily things and in the uncleannesses, I too shall have broken the law, because I threw the pearls to the swine. And the swine, receiving the pearls, inasmuch as they do not see their beauty nor perceive their superiority, trample them — by speaking badly the things said well — and not only do they trample the pearls, but turning they also tear the servants of the pearls.

I beg you, then: be transformed. Do you want to learn that it is in you to be transformed, and to put off the form of the swine, which is according to the unclean soul, and the form of the dog, which is according to the barking and yelping and evil-speaking human being? And it is possible to be transformed from serpents. For an evil human being is called a serpent and offspring of vipers.