Where we are

Collinsville, Mississippi.

About 90 minutes east of Jackson, 90 minutes west of Hattiesburg, 40 minutes north of Meridian. Pine trees, rolling land, ponds, and more quiet than most people have felt in their lives.

History

How Gil came to this land.

The Pearl is the manifestation of a long held dream and vision. It began as a deep inner knowing that there needed to be a real place in the world where people could breathe again, learn to love themselves, God, and others well. After years of teaching, searching, breaking old programming, and rebuilding my own life from the inside out, this land appeared almost like a quiet answer waiting for me to recognize it. What started as an abandoned remodel on 12 acres in rural Mississippi slowly became a refuge for honest conversations, healing, meditation, rest, and reconnection. It is still becoming as more people see and experience what we do here. We set people free! Free to live a fulfilled life of peace and purpose. The Pearl is not finished. Like the people who come here, it is unfolding layer by layer into what it was always meant to be, a living space of freedom, peace, authenticity, and love without conditions.

The land itself

What you'll find here.

Acres of pine forest and open land. A soon-to-come water works with one larger pool at the top and several smaller pools flowing into a pond. Paths. A garden in progress. The Big House where most meals and most conversations happen. A growing cluster of tiny homes for guests and residents. A fire ring that's been the site of more honest conversations than most churches or temples. The Pearl is a modern eco-village in the making.

The values

Not rules. Values.

Freedom — nothing here asks you to prove who you are.
Presence — phones away at fires, eyes up at meals.
Responsibility — you're an adult, we treat you like one.
Real conversation — small talk is fine, but the real thing is why you came.
No performing — leave the persona in the car.

Where we're going

What we're building toward.

A living community of people who chose this work and chose each other. More tiny homes for long-term residents. A larger workshop. A proper garden. A small handful of people who live here, more who come through. The Pearl is a modern eco-village in the making, and eventually we hope to live more and more from the land. It is a village in slow-motion construction, and the slow motion is the point.