Magic Pebbles

Tonight I got to do another Motivational talk at a Women's Group. It was a small turn out but wow, what incredible ladies they were! I loved having the opportunity to talk to them and get to know them a bit better. My topic tonight was on gifts, different gifts that we recieve from the Savior and how understanding and accepting those gifts can change your life for the better. One of the stories that I read near the end of my talk was this one...

 Legend of the Magic Pebbles

One night a group of nomads were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of a celestial being. With great anticipation, they awaited a heavenly message of great importance that they knew must be especially for them.
Finally, the voice spoke, "Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in your saddle bags. Travel a day's journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad."
After having departed, the nomads shared their disappointment and anger with each other. They had expected the revelation of a great universal truth that would enable them to create wealth, health and purpose for the world. But instead they were given
a menial task that made no sense to them at all. However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles and deposit them in their saddle bags while voicing their displeasure.
They traveled a day's journey and that night while making camp, they reached into their saddle bags and discovered every pebble they had gathered had become a diamond. They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad they had not gathered more pebbles.


I think many times we see trials and hardships in our lives as just a rock, pebble or boulder placed in our paths to frustrate or burden us. But like this story, I believe that we need to gather all the information and knowledge that we can from these (pebbles ) or trials in our lives. These very experiences ( just like the process of making a diamond )  are hard tough with a lot of pressure and heat have to be put on them to become the gem that they are... it is the same for us! Those experiences have become gems in my life and have made me who I am. For that I am eternally grateful! And for the closeness that I have for the Savior has been largely because of them too!
Well, it is late and I had better head to bed. Good night dear friends!

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this something, at whatever cost, must be attained."  ~Marie Curie