A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.


He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the
stem and 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 just 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, the
defects.



We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We
neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. 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 of another, and find the rose within
them.



This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know
their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the
while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize
they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within
themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom
many times over.