The Master’s Ring

– Master, I feel useless. I don’t have any strength. They tell me that I’m useless… that I’m slow… a complete idiot. Help me please.

The master, without looking at him, said:

– Sorry, young man. You caught me on a bad day. I’m trying to solve a serious problem. Come back another time, please.

When the young man was about to leave, the teacher proposed to him:

– Well, if you would help me, I could solve my problem faster so we could talk.

– C… Of course, lord, stammered the young man, quite unsure.

The master took a ring he wore on his little finger and said to the boy:

– Ride my horse and go to the market to sell this ring. I need to pay off a debt, but please don’t sell it for less than a gold coin. Run and come back as fast as you can.

So, as soon as he reached the market, the young man began to offer it to everyone he met. They looked on with some interest, but when the young man said how much he intended for the ring, they laughed, turned away and ignored him. Only an old man, seeing the boy’s suffering, was nice to him, and explained to him that a gold coin was a lot of money for that ring.

Another, trying to help, even offered a silver coin and a copper cup, but the young man, following his master’s instructions, refused the offer.

So, beaten down by the failure, he mounted his horse again and, very sad, returned to the master’s house. He even wished he had a gold coin and bought that ring, even if it wasn’t worth that much, just to help his master.

Upon entering the house, he reported:
– Master, I’m sorry, I couldn’t sell the ring. It is impossible to get what you are asking for it. Maybe I can get 2 or 3 silver coins, but not more than that. We cannot mislead anyone about the value of this ring.

– You are right, my friend. Before trying to sell the ring, we should first know its real value. We don’t want to deceive anyone, nor to be deceived, do we? Please do one more thing for me: remount the horse and go to the jeweler; who better than him to know the value of this ring? Tell him I want to sell it and ask him how much he can offer, but beware my friend, no matter how much he offers, don’t sell the ring to the jeweler. Just ask the value of the ring and bring it back.

Still trying to help his teacher, the young man went to the jeweler and gave him the ring to examine. The jeweler then told him:
– Tell the master that if he is in a hurry to sell the ring, I cannot give him more than 8 gold coins…

– 8????? – Asked the young man.

– Yes, replied the jeweler, I can offer him up to 10 coins, but only if he is not in a hurry.

1 John 4:9,10 says: "By this the love of God was revealed in our case, that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might gain life through him. The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins."

The young man, moved, ran to the master’s house and told him everything.
– 8 gold coins, wow! – exclaimed the teacher, and laughing, mocked:
– Those men in the market failed to do a good deal, didn’t they?
– Yes, master, agreed the boy, all excited.

– So sir, the boy asked, are you going to sell the ring for 8 or 10 coins?

– I won’t sell it, he replied, I did it just so you’ll understand one thing:

– You, young man, are like this ring: a precious and unique jewel. But, only wise people can assess its real worth. Or did you think anyone could rate it correctly? Not! No matter what people say about you, what matters is your true worth.

And with that, he put his ring back on his finger.

Conclusion: We are all like this gem, unique and valuable; unfortunately, we spend our lives walking through all of life’s markets, cheapening our own value, pretending that ill-prepared people will value us. Therefore, no one should have the strength to make us feel inferior. Each one of us is special, as the Creator knows our real worth.

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