The Pearls
In a far away country, there was a very beautiful young girl. She loved to wear beautiful attires and dresses. On her birthday, her father gave her a box. Inside the box, she found a very beautiful necklace, made of pearl. Though the pearls were just mere imitations, the necklace was still looked gorgeous. The girl liked it very much and wore it all the time.
When the girl had grown into a fine young lady, her father said to her, “Give me your necklace”. When she asked why, her father said, “Trust me”. At first, she refused. She loved it very much. Everytime her father asked her the necklace, she directly said no. Her father did not push her though, so the situation went on and on for some time.
Then, one day, when her father asked her to give him the necklace again, she burst into tears. With tears flowing on her cheek, she said, “Very well Dad. I don’t know why you ask for it. This necklace is my only treasure. But, if you want it, here. You can have it.” Reluctantly, she handed over the necklace.
Her father smiled. By the time he got the necklace on his hand, he directly gave another box. When the box was opened, the daughter was astonished! Inside, there was a very beautiful necklace made of real pearls. At that time, the daughter suddenly understood. Her previous necklace was indeed a beautiful one. However, imitations would never outshine the real thing, the real pearls lying on her hands.
In life, people sometimes fall into illusions. We love to do old habits, even though the habits are actually bad for us. We do something to comfort us in time of trouble, but do nothing to deal with the cause of it.We buy expensive goods for the sake of style rather than function, which lead us into burdensome debts. We spend hours in watching TV programs rather than reading quality books, causing stagnation in our attitude growth. We love gossips instead of fruitful discussions, blurring our perspective. When trouble comes, we are whining instead of praying, resulting in a seemingly unbearable burden. It is funny to see how we spend our money and time on things that are actually bad for us.
So, let’s wake up from the illusions and start something better!
