I saw my first diamond in the rough the other day. The stone was in its natural state, uncut and unpolished and I must confess, I was not impressed. The jeweler who showed it to me held up beside it another stone which sparkled and glittered and had all the qualities of a fine gem. "Which would you take?" He asked me. I replied, "The finished stone, of course." That "finished stone” was a $40 zircon. The rough stone was valued at over $12,000. I thought to myself, how typical of the human race. Isn't it true that few of us ever recognize a diamond in the rough. We want all the polish, the show, the glitter and glamour of the finished stone, not because it is more valuable, but simply because it LOOKS more impressive. We don't really care about values anymore. It's the impression that counts, and so we surround ourselves with ostentation and accept without protest or complaint cars, washers, refrigerators, clothes, homes and yes, even friends, who will be out of date in less than 12 months time. As Oscar Wilde said, "We know the price of everything and the value of nothing." I talked to a young minister of the gospel the other day. He told me there was one subject he couldn't speak on. That subject was "peace of mind." There must be a lesson there somewhere, but I wonder if there will be any among us who will slow up long enough to discover what it might be. One thing is for sure, our values need some readjustment. Somehow we must again base our acceptance of things on "worth" rather than surface appearance.
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