The Priceless Diamond A Moral Story About Stinginess and Lost Opportunities en

Once upon a time there was a laborer who lived in a small village. Every day he would dig up soil, load it onto his donkey and sell it. One day while digging, the laborer found a precious diamond in the soil, but he didn't know its value, so he tied it around his donkey's neck. One day as he was walking through the village with his donkey, a wealthy merchant who ran a small grocery shop saw the shining stone around the donkey's neck. He asked the laborer, What is this shining thing around your donkey's neck? The laborer replied, It's just a shiny stone that I found while digging. The merchant liked the stone and bought it from the laborer for 50 rupees. The merchant then hung the stone on his shop's weighing scale. Everyone who visited the shop admired the beautiful stone. One day a jeweler came to the merchant's shop. When he saw the stone hanging from the scale, he realized it was a priceless diamond. He asked the merchant, What is this and why is it hanging here? The merchant replied, It's a shiny stone that I bought from a laborer for 50 rupees. The jeweler then asked, Would you like to sell it to me? The merchant said, If you want it, give me 100 rupees and take it. The jeweler, being stingy, said, I can give you 80 rupees, if you agree, I'll take it. Otherwise I'll leave. But the merchant insisted on 100 rupees and the jeweler left, thinking he would return the next day and buy it for 90 rupees. That evening, another jeweler passed through the village. His car broke down, so he stopped by the merchant's shop. When he saw the diamond hanging from the scale, he immediately offered 100 rupees and bought the diamond without hesitation. The next day the first jeweler came back and noticed that the diamond was gone. He asked the merchant where it went. The merchant replied, After you left, another gentleman came and bought it for 100 rupees. Hearing this, the jeweler regretted his decision and angrily said, You fool! That was not just a shiny stone. It was a priceless diamond. And you sold it for just 100 rupees. The merchant laughed and replied, Sir, I didn't know it was a priceless diamond. But you did. Still, you argued over 20 rupees. So the real fool is you, who lost a precious diamond for just 20 rupees. This story teaches us three important lessons. 1. Be stingy only where it's needed. If you're stingy everywhere, you may miss out on great things. 2. Never miss an opportunity. Sometimes thinking you're too smart, you let chances slip away. 3. Never delay your work. There's an old saying, Do tomorrow's work today and today's work now. The right time is now.