There are people who can live their whole lives with the belief that they are worth nothing. Whether it is the message they received from their parents or friends, these people don’t know how much they are worth and what their true value is, and it makes them doubt their own skills or even the things they deserve from the world. If you feel that you don’t know what your value is, the next parable will show you that each and every one of us is a priceless treasure, and you just have to know where and how to find it.
A boy turned to his father and asked, “Father, what is the value of my life?”
Instead of answering, the father placed a colorful stone, shiny and smooth stone in his hand and said, “Go sell this stone in the market. If someone asks about the stones price, just raise two fingers and say nothing more.”
The boy went to the market where a woman saw him an asked,
“How much does the stone cost? I’d like to put it in my garden.”
The boy said nothing and just raised two fingers.
The woman said, “two dollars? I’ll take it!”
The boy went back and told his father happily that a woman at the market bought the stone for two dollars.
The father put a similar stone in the boy’s hand and told him, “Now I want you to take the stone to the museum. If someone wants to buy it, don’t say a word, just pick two fingers up.”
The boy went to the museum where a man in a suit saw him and asked, “how much does the stone cost? I want to add it to my rare stone collection.”
The boy said nothing and just raised two fingers.
The man said, “two hundred dollars? I’ll take it!”
The boy was in shock and instead of selling the stone he ran back to his father to tell him that someone wants to buy the stone for two hundred dollars.
The father listened to the son and said, “now I want you to take the stone to a store that sells precious gems. Show it to the store owner and don’t say a word. If he asks for a price, simply raise two fingers.”
The boy went to the precious gem store, showed the stone to the owners who then asked, “Where did you find this stone? This is one of the rarest stones in the world! I have to buy it off of you. How much are you selling it for?”
The boy said nothing and just raised two fingers.
The shop owner said, “no problem. I’ll pay you 20,000 dollars for the stone.”
The happy child didn’t sell the stone, rather he went back to his father to tell him with pride about the store owner that wanted to buy the stone for 20,000 dollars.
The father said, “son, do you understand the value of your life now? It doesn’t matter where you came from, what color your skin is, or even how much money you have. What matters is the place you choose to be in and who you surround yourself with.”
“There are people who go through a whole lifetime believing they are worth only two dollars, when in fact, they just surround themselves with people who see them as such. Within each person hides a diamond, and we choose to surround ourselves with people who see our worth and the diamond inside of us. We choose whether to pace ourselves in a marketplace or in a precious gem store.”
“You too my son can choose to see other’s priceless value and you also have the ability to help them see the diamond hiding inside of them. Choose the people who surround you wisely, it can make all the difference in your life.”
