One day a young boy asked his father, “What is the value of my life?”

But instead of answering, the father told his son, “Take this rock and go sell it at a market. If anybody asks the price, raise two fingers and don’t say anything.”

The boy went to the market and a woman asked, “How much is this rock? I want to put it in my garden.” The boy didn’t say anything and raised two fingers. The woman said, “Two dollars? I’ll take it!”

And the boy went home and told his father. “A woman wants to buy this rock for two dollars!”

The father said, “Son! I want you to take this rock to a museum, if anybody wants to buy it, don’t say a word and just put up two fingers.”

The boy went to a museum and a man wanted to buy the rock. the boy didn’t say a word and put up two fingers. And the man said, “200 dollars? I’ll take it!”

The boy was shocked and went running home.

“Father, a man wants to buy this rock for 200 dollars.”

His father then said, “Son, the last place I want you to take this rock is to a precious stone store, show it to the owner and don’t say a word. And if he asks the price just put up two fingers.”

The son then went to a precious stone store and showed the rock to the owner.

“Where did you find this stone? It is one of the most rare stones of the world, I must have it. How much would you sell it for?” The boy put up two fingers and the man said, “I’ll take it for 200 00 dollars!”

The boy, not knowing what to say, ran home to his father.

“Father, there is a man who wants to buy the rock for 200 000 dollars!”

His father then said, “Son, do you know the value of your life now?”

You see, it doesn’t matter where you come from, where you were born, the colour of your skin, or how much money you were born into. It matters where you decide to place yourself, the people you surround yourself with, and how you choose to carry yourself.

You may have lived your whole life thinking you were a two-dollar stone; you may have lived your whole life surrounded by people that saw you were worth only two dollars. But everybody has a diamond inside of them and we can choose to surround ourselves with people that see our value and see our diamond inside of us.

We can choose to put ourselves in a market or put ourselves in a precious stone store! And you can also choose to see the value in other people, you can help other people see the diamond inside of them. Choose the people you surround yourself with wisely and that can make all the difference in your life.

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