Just A Bunch Of Rocks!
There was a certain man named Thomas who had a small farm. This farm was on very rocky ground and never produced much of anything because it was so difficult to cultivate. For many years Thomas tried to make a go of it but one day finally decided that he had had enough and needed to seek his blessing elsewhere. So, selling the piece of land for a small amount of money to Stephano, a friend in the village, Thomas set off to see the world and find his fortune.
Trying this and that
Over many years Thomas tried this and he tried that but never really struck it big. Finally, when he was old and tired, he came back to his village to see his relatives and settle down. One day Thomas went up to his old farm to see Stephano, but to his utter amazement, there was a mansion built on the very spot where his small house used to be! Knocking on the door, a beautiful woman answered and Thomas asked who lived there. The woman said, “My husband Stephano, of course.” Just then, Stephano arrived from town and greeted Thomas, inviting him in for some refreshments and a visit.
What happened?
Stephano filled Thomas in on what had happened in the village since he left. Finally, Thomas could not help himself any longer and exclaimed “Stephano, how did you make all this wealth from farming?!” Stephano replied, “I did not make this from farming, that is impossible, this land is too rocky for that.” “Then how?” Thomas asked.
Stephano asked his wife to show Thomas her necklace while he began to explain, “Well, while digging, I noticed some of those agates you told me about in the dirt. I liked them so much I started picking them up when I would find one. I broke one in half, just for fun, to see what was inside and it was very beautiful. When I showed it to a friend of mine, a geologist, he just about fell over. They were diamonds in the rough. So, it turned out that your farm was not a farm at all, but actually a diamond mine!”
Diamonds in the rough
As Thomas walked back to his relative’s house, he thought, “Everything I ever wanted was right under my feet and I did not know it. I could not see the diamonds in the rough.”