This beautiful decorative sculpture of the Middle East’s most iconic animal is made from locally sourced olive wood.

In Palestine camels are used mostly by Bedouins, nomadic people of the desert. They are jokingly referred to as desert Ferraris. Camels can travel great distances across hot deserts with little food or water. They walk easily on soft sand where trucks would get stuck. They carry people and heavy loads to places that have no roads. Therefore wearing this brooch can be a great reminder of Jesus’ call to serve those who are struggling to survive in situations of need.

Stories about the Jewish patriarchs—Abraham, Joseph, and Jacob—include descriptions of camels as domesticated animals. One example, is found Genesis 24:10-11. The scripture tells about  Abrahams servant using camels to go find a wife for Jacob.

The New Testament quotes Jesus as saying in Luke 18:25 that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Jesus and the rich young man).

The “Eye of the Needle” was indeed a narrow gateway into Jerusalem. Since camels were heavily loaded with goods and riders, they would need to be un-loaded in order to pass through. Therefore, the analogy is that a rich man would have to similarly unload his material possessions in order to enter heaven.