(~) The Stone Cutter

There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with
his position in life. One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house.
Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important
visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stone cutter.
He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more
luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by
those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried
in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers
beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the
procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I
wish that I
could be a high official!"

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered
sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot
summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan
chair.

 He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his
presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish
that I could be
the sun!"

Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the
fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved
between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on
everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought.
"I wish
that I could be a cloud!"

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by
everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great
force, and realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he
thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting
trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up
against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew
against it - a huge, towering rock. "How powerful that rock is!" he
thought. "I wish that I could be a rock!"

Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as
he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the
hard surface, and felt himself being changed. 

"What could be more powerful than I, the rock?" he thought. He looked down
and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter.

by Benjamin Hoff

Ninure Saunders aka Rainbow Christian

The Lord is my Shepherd and He knows I'm Gay
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