The Acres Of Diamonds.
Seeking Diamonds? Look Within First
Acres of Diamonds : A Story of Misplaced Dreams
Let me tell you a story that I have heard many times, and I like to tell it again and again.
Many years ago, there was this prosperous Persian farmer named Al Hafed.
He had a large tract of land and an even larger heart. He had a happy life with his wife and children.
He would host visiting traders, travelling salesmen, explorers, and priests, and it was from one such priest that he learnt about diamonds.
Vist of a Budhist Priest
One day, a Buddhist priest came to visit Ali Hafed.
The priest told him about diamonds, describing them as stones that shone like stars.
Diamonds that could make people rich and make all their dreams come true.
He explained how diamonds were formed deep in the earth and how precious they were.
The priest said, “If you had a diamond as big as your thumb, you could buy the whole village.
If you found a mine full of diamonds, you could make your children rulers, sitting on golden thrones.”
In Search of Diamonds
Sensing an opportunity to earn a fortune, Al Hafed decided to go out and hunt for the diamonds.
“I want them, and I am going to go look for them,”he told the priest.
He sold his farm, left his family in the care of neighbours and went looking for diamonds.
He searched every where, went to far away lands, and continued his search for diamonds for nearly six months.
Unfortunately, even after spending six months - and a lot of money - he did not meet with any success.
He was exhausted and then he died shortly thereafter — broke and heartbroken.
He died never finding a single diamond and having given up everything he owned and loved.
Finding Diamonds
Meanwhile, on the land Al Hafed had sold, the new owner had worked very hard to do agriculture farming.
He planted a lot of plants and trees in the land he purchased and used to water the plants every evening.
He got good returns from the land and had a very happy life with his wife and children.
Then one evening the old priest happened to stop by the new owner’s house and came inside his house.
There the priest saw a large stone on his mantelpiece at home. It glistened with all the colours of the rainbow.
When he spotted the big stone, pointing to the stone the priest said: “Ah, a diamond! Is Al Hafed back?”
“No,” said the new owner.
“Where did you find this?” the priest asked, his eyes glinting, not registering the irony.
“I just got it (the stone) from the garden. When I was watering the plants, I noticed a stone glittering in the water. It was a large one, and, noticing its brilliance, I picked it up and placed it on this mantelpiece.” said the new owner
He continued, “There are countless ones like them throughout the garden!”.
The priest and the new owner walked into the garden.
There they could see a lot of similar glittering stones covered under the soil.
The priest took a few stones and cleaned under water and the stones were real diamonds, shining and glittering. The priest was really surprised!
Why do we fail to recognize the diamonds in our own backyard, under our own feet?
The Lesson from Al Hafed’s Story
The story of Al Hafed teaches us something very important—real success and happiness are often closer than we think.
Many times, we believe that to become successful, we need to go somewhere far away, start something new, or change everything in our life.
But the truth is, what we are looking for might already be right in front of us.
Al Hafed made a mistake by thinking that diamonds could only be found in distant lands.
He sold everything he had and left his home in search of them, not realizing that the diamonds were hidden in his own farm all along.
Don’t Ignore What You Already Have
One of the biggest mistakes we make in life is ignoring the things we already have.
We often think that our job, our skills, or our surroundings are not good enough, and we look for something better somewhere else.
Just like Al Hafed, we might feel that happiness or success is far away, but in reality, it could be right where we are.
The new owner of the farm showed us that with hard work and patience, we can find great opportunities in the same place we once ignored.
Success Comes with Hard Work
Success doesn’t come easy; it takes effort, patience, and dedication.
When the new owner of the farm worked hard, watering the plants and taking care of the land, he found diamonds right under his feet. This teaches us that opportunities often look like hard work at first.
They don’t always shine brightly from the beginning, just like uncut diamonds. But if we put in the effort, those rough stones can turn into something valuable.
Look Around You First
Instead of thinking that success is somewhere else, we should first take a closer look at what we have right now.
Our skills, our talents, and even our current job or environment might have great potential that we haven’t noticed yet. Just like the diamonds in the farm, success is sometimes hidden under simple, everyday things.
We need to pay attention, put in effort, and have patience to see the real value in them.
The Moral of the Story
The main lesson from this story is simple—success and happiness are not always far away.
They might already be in our lives, waiting to be discovered. We should stop searching outside and start working with what we have.
Just like the new owner who found diamonds in his own backyard, we can also find success if we take care of what’s already ours.
So, before we look elsewhere, let’s focus on the opportunities around us and work hard to turn them into something great.
