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.