Where is your treasure found?
In the mid-1800s, Dr. Russell Conwell dedicated his life to the formation of a college for poor but deserving young people. Almost single-handedly he raised several million dollars, with which he established Temple University. In each of his more than six thousand fundraising lectures throughout the country, he told a true story that deeply affected his listeners. It was called “Acres of Diamonds.” The plot starts with an African farmer who had heard tales of others making millions by discovering diamond mines. He was so excited about the possibilities which lay ahead that he sold his farm and used the money to traipse across the African continent in search of the valuable gems. Unfortunately for him, he never found his fortune and died a despondent and dejected man. Meanwhile, the man who purchased the farm from this wealth-seeking African discovered a beautiful rock while crossing one of the streams on his newly-acquired property. He placed it upon the fireplace mantel because of its curious beauty. Several weeks later a visitor noticed the rock and nearly fainted. The farmer thought it was just an impressive clump of crystal. As it turned out, it was one of the largest diamonds ever discovered and it came from a creek full of many more large and precious stones. Dr. Conwell concluded his story by stating that the farm turned out to be one of the most productive diamond mines on the entire African continent. We need not waste our lives looking elsewhere for “better opportunities.” We already own the most valuable resources available, in that the Creator of diamonds has said he is polishing us into the image of Christ. (See Romans 8:29 and Philippians 1:6.)
