Daily Meditation for April 29, 2024

A young man sought a position with a master jeweler, but the jeweler brushed him off. After he pleaded for a chance, the jeweler finally relented: “Be here tomorrow” was all he said. For the next five days, the jeweler placed a piece of beautiful, expensive jade in the young man’s hand each morning and told him to study it, which the young man did all day long. On the sixth day, the young man finally spoke up: “Sir, when am I going to learn something?” “You’ll learn in time,” the master replied. On the eighth day, the master placed a stone in the young man’s hand and instantly the young man exclaimed: “Wait, this is not the same jade stone.” The master peered over his eyeglasses, smiled and said, “You have begun to learn,” and indeed the young man had.

By Joyce Iten, OSB