A ROSE WITHIN

"A Rose Within"

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully.
Before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud
that would soon blossom and also the thorns.

He thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a
plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?" Saddened
by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and
before it was ready to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a
rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth
grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at
ourselves and see only the thorns.

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly
come from us. We neglect to water the good within us.
We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves;
someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest
gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past
the thorns and find the rose within others.

This is the characteristic of love, to look at a
person, and knowing their faults, recognize the
nobility in their soul. If we show them the rose, they
will conquer the thorns.

- Author Unknown