Dirty, crude, misshapen, the rock lay discarded on the ground. Many had picked it up, studied it, and then discarded it. Finally, still bruised from the elements, the rock was chosen by one who knew what it was really worth. Carefully, and patiently he spent time reshaping and polishing. There were some painful times for the rock. These times called for cutting, chipping and abrasiveness. Gradually, it took shape into an item of great beauty. Another had pretended to see past the dirt and roughness, but had merely used the rock for a paperweight on his way to somewhere else. The rock had yearned to become an object of great value to someone and had thought the job of paperweight might possibly be it, not realizing that there are millions of paperweights in the world and when a new one struck its owner’s fancy they discard the old. Not many people choose to spend the time and energy required to look for the gem beneath the surface. How many rocks are really valuable gems never discovered?
We can easily overlook diamonds in the rough. Diamonds don’t come out of the ground looking like those we know to be diamonds with sparkle and expertly cut facets. I’m sure many are passed over because they look like a dirty old rock. Diamonds are really coal submitted to extreme pressure. We would not consider wearing a coal ring, yet many show off their diamond rings with pride.
People can appear to be like the dirty, misshapen rock , until we get to really know them. There are times that a person is treated as if they have no value and it takes a special individual to discover the diamond within. How many people have we stereotyped that, if we had spent the time to get to know them would have enriched our lives? Remember people too, can turn into diamonds when extreme pressure is exerted upon them. We should never use people like paperweights, using and discarding them when someone else comes along.
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