The Boy and the Ocean

A boy was walking by the ocean and found the most beautiful stone his eyes have ever seen. He decides to keep it, and thanks the ocean for giving him something precious he has been wishing for all his life. One day, while walking by the shore with the stone in his hand, the ocean spoke to him, "Throw back the stone in the water. I will give you something more beautiful and precious than you can ever imagine." The boy replied, "No! This stone is mine! It is my treasure and it is all that I have and own in my life. I am not giving it up to you!"

The boy walks away and goes home.

That night, in a dream, the boy saw himself playing with his stone by the ocean shore. Suddenly, a big wave washed him away bringing him to the ocean floor with the precious stone gone from his hands. He cried and was angry at the ocean, "Why did you take my stone away from me?!! What do you want from me?!!" The ocean was silent. The boy shouted harder, "You took away the most important thing in my life! Now I have nothing, and I hate you!"

As he cried, an earthquake suddenly split the ocean floor open, and a big wooden chest came out of the ground right in front of him. The ocean told the boy, "Open it. I brought you here because I am yours, and all that is mine I give to you." The boy opened the chest and there he saw his precious stone along with the most beautiful stones and gems in the whole world -- pearls, diamonds, emerald, gold, jade, etc.

The boy woke up from the dream and he understood. That morning, he took his precious stone and offered it back to the ocean. His heart was filled with gratitude and assurance that the ocean loves him, and will give him all that he will ever need. All the days of his life.