I've been listening to some really good talks on Cd's that my little sister sent to me. They were made by a lady that raised 10 children and that now teaches classes. The one I just got done listening to is on how to teach your children to have self-worth. Not only did it teach me a lot about what to do as a parent, it really touched my heart as an individual who needs to find value within myself. Not until recently have I been honest with myself in seeing that I lack self worth in that I am not content with all that I have. I often struggle with feelings of inadequacy and tend to look outside of my talents and abilities, looking to be someone different without being thankful for who I am. This story is a beautiful illustration of what can happen when I fail to make the most of what I have. It was on one of these Cds and I found that James E. Faust used it in a talk years ago.
The story is told of Ali Hafed, a wealthy ancient Persian who owned much land and many productive fields, orchards, and gardens and had money out at interest. He had a lovely family and at first was contented because he was wealthy, and wealthy because he was contented.
An old priest came to Ali Hafed and told him that if he had a diamond the size of his thumb, he could purchase a dozen farms like his. Ali Hafed said, "Will you tell me where I can find diamonds?"
The priest told him, "If you will find a river that runs over white sands, between high mountains, in those white sands you will always find diamonds."
"Well," said Ali Hafed, "I will go."
So he sold his farm, collected his money that was at interest, and left his family in charge of a neighbor, and away he went in search of diamonds, traveling through many lands in Asia and Europe. After years of searching his money was all spent, and he passed away in rags and wretchedness.
Meanwhile, the man who purchased Ali Hafed's farm one day led his camel out into the garden to drink, and as the animal put his nose into the shallow waters, the farmer noticed a curious flash of light in the white sands of the stream. Reaching in, he pulled out a black stone containing a strange eye of light. Not long after, the same old priest came to visit Ali Hafed's successor and found that in the black stone was a diamond. As they rushed out into the garden and stirred up the white sands with their fingers, they came up with many more beautiful, valuable gems. According to the story, this marked the discovery of the diamond mines of Golconda, the most valuable diamond mines in the history of the ancient world.
Had Ali Hafed remained at home and dug in his own cellar, or anywhere in his own fields, rather than traveling in strange lands where he eventually faced starvation and ruin, he would have had "acres of diamonds." (Story paraphrased from Russell H. Conwell, Acres of Diamonds [Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1960], 10–14.)
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