The Two Stones

A missionary came to a farm one day
At the loneliest corner of the world
Looking to buy land to build a church.
The farmer, however, was a shrewd man,
And his price was steep.
The missionary looked upon the farmer's two sons,
Who were still young and rosy-cheeked.
From his bag he pulled two stones,
One, the color of fire,
The other, a sombre blue.
"These two stones are more valuable than all the riches of the land," he said,
"And I will give them to you."
Holding up the fire colored stone he said:
"This stone was blessed by Jesus himself.
A man had come to him in dire straits.
The stone was all he owned.
Jesus blessed the stone and said:
'This stone will bring you great wealth,
But you must never part with it,
Not for any price.'
The man bowed and took the stone.
When word had spread that Jesus had risen from the dead,
The man took the stone to a king.
The king offered all his fortune for the stone.
The man sold it, and built a vast palace
Which he filled with invaluable tapestries
Made in all four corners of the world.
One night, there was a storm.
The palace was struck by lightning.
It burned to the ground.
The man's fortune was lost.
He fell to his knees and wept.
He searched through the ashes,
And lo and behold, there was the stone.
He cried out to the heavens,
'I thank you, Lord!'
He gave the stone to a blind man,
And promised him wealth and fortune,
For the stone had been blessed by Jesus,
The King of Man.
The blind man became rich,
And gave the stone to a church.
And thus, it passed to me."
He gave the stone to the eldest son,
Who gazed at it in awe.
"This other stone," the missionary said,
Holding up the stone of sombre blue,
"Was found by John in a river
After baptizing a young boy.
He gave the stone to a dying prostitute,
And told her it would ease her passing
If she placed it over her heart.
The prostitute did as John bid her,
And her final thoughts were sweet
And she passed on in peace."
The missionary gave the younger son the stone,
And he smiled, amazed by the gift.
The two young boys held each stone in equal value,
For richness in death is equal to richness in life.
The farmer, in awe of the missionary and his gifts,
Sold the missionary a portion of his land
And there, to this very day, resides a church.