Here's a hearwarming story about jewelry, just in time for the holidays:

The Tennessean Newspaper on Saturday ran a profile, Pearls of hope: Jewelry is just part of Tina Mitchell's rescue efforts, about an outreach and evangelistic pastor who bestows pearl necklaces on former prostitutes and drug addicts who remain clean, sober and in her recovery ministry for a year.


Mitchell began suprising the women with the necklaces about four months ago, and now "Girls in Pearls" proudly display their pearls as badges of honor as they work at re-establishing themselves as productive members of the community.


Mitchell doles out the necklaces as a reward, but attaches no conditions or stipulations to the gift, making it even more special.


"Some people tell me that as soon as the girls relapse, the first thing they are going to do is hock the pearls," Mitchell tells the newspaper. "I can't do anything about that. If they do that and then get clean for another year, I'll give them a new strand. I hope I run out of pearls. I don't give up on people."