
In Russell Conwell's famous story, "Acres of Diamonds,"
there lived near the Indus River an old Persian whose name was Ali Hafed.
He owned a large farm with orchards, grain fields,
and gardens. Being thrifty, he saved his money and became
wealthy and contented. One day a Buddhist priest visited him,
and they began to talk about diamonds. "One diamond as big as
your thumb," he said, "could purchase the whole country, and if you
had a mine of diamonds, you could put your children on
thrones." That night Ali Hafed went to bed feeling as if he
were a poor man. He hadn't lost anything, but he felt that he
was poor because he was unhappy. He said to himself, "I want
a mine of diamonds," and lay awake all night.

The next morning, he said to the priest, "Will you tell me
where I can find diamonds?" "What do you want with diamonds?"
asked the priest. Why, I wish to be immensely rich,"
he replied. "Well, go find them," said the priest. "Where
shall I look?" eagerly asked Ali Hafed. "If you find a river
that runs through white sands between high mountains, in those
white sands you will find them," said the priest. "I will go,"
said Ali Hafed.

Soon Ali Hafed sold his farm, left his family with a neighbor,
and started out on a journey which took him to many lands.
Gradually his money dwindled and finally it was all gone, and not
finding any diamonds, he finally threw himself into the ocean and
died.

Back in the homeland, the man who had purchased the farm
from Ali Hafed led his camel to drink at the brook in the garden.
As he waited, he noticed a flash of light from the
white sands of the stream, and picking up a pebble, he put it on
his fireplace mantel and forgot about it. One day the priest came to visit
him, and seeing the pebble, shouted, "Here is a diamond!"

"Oh, no," replied the man, "that is not a diamond; it is just
a stone from our garden."

"But I tell you I know diamonds, and I know positively
that this is a diamond," insisted the priest. Together they
rushed to the stream, and stirring up the sand, up came some
others more beautiful than the first. Thus was discovered the
Golconda Diamond Mine, one of the most famous diamond mines
in the world!

It's a story to think about!

There are many people who make themselves unhappy by
wanting something which they do not have, and feel that they
must start roaming the world in search of it. In the Holy
Bible, Jesus tells us the
story of a young man who started on a journey to far countries,
hoping eventually to find happiness. Soon he had spent his
money and was in such desperate need that he got a job feeding
hogs, which, for a Jew, was the lowest work possible, for hogs
were looked upon as unclean animals. In shame, the young man thought
about the nice home which he had left and realized that even
the servants in that home had better food and nicer clothes than
he. Finally, he said, "I will return to my father, confess my
faults, and ask to be one of the servants." His father, however,
had been hoping that his son would return, and welcomed him
gladly. And so it was that the prodigal son finally found the happiness
he had searched for . . . in his own home!
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