2. A woman was traveling through mountains toward a
nearby town.
Thirsty, she stopped by a stream, where she found a
large precious stone. It had to be worth a fortune.
The next day, the woman arrived in town.
3. Just outside the inn where she was planning to rest that
night, she passed by a man who was on the side of the
road - clearly hungry and asking for assistance.
She stopped and opened her bag to share some food, and
he noticed the stone she was carrying. When he asked if
she would give it to him, she did so without hesitation.
4. The beggar got up and left, rejoicing at his unexpected
wealth. He knew that the stone would be valuable
enough to support him for the rest of his lifetime.
But that night he returned to the inn to locate the woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, when he found her.
“I know how valuable this stone is… but I’d like to give it
back to you…
5. “In return,” he explained, “I am hoping you will give me
something even more precious.”
The woman was surprised to see him. “What is is that you
want?” she asked.
“I want to know,” he replied, “if you can give me whatever
it was, inside you, that enabled you to give me the stone…”