Precious Stones

A man had been working all day and was tired. To reach home he had to cross a small river. There was no ferry available so he sat down on the sand to wait for one. The sun had set and the moon was playing hide and seek with the clouds in the dark sky.

As he stretched himself on the warm sand, he felt a small cloth bag under his hand. He put his fist inside and found that the pouch was full of small pebbles. In the darkness of the night he tossed the pebbles one after the other into the water, in an attempt to while away his time. Dawn broke, but no ferry had yet come. In the first rays of the sun, he glanced into the palm of his hand, which held the last pebble from the pouch.

He was stunned to see in his palm, a sparkling white diamond! In a trice he realized what a blunder he had committed. In the dark blanket of the night, he had tossed a whole bagful of diamonds into the river!

Most of us are like that man. We toss away precious moments and opportunities that come our way during the course of our lives. By the time we realize the value of those, it’s already too late.

We waste our lives in the dark without realizing the value of this gift of human life that God has given to us. In the rigmarole of daily events we are so much blinded that we fail to recognize the opportunity given by the Lord to come closer to Him. We fail to value the gifts He gives to us. By the time this realization sets in, its too late !