A wise woman used to take walks in the mountains. One day, the woman found a precious stone in a creek. She lifted the glittering stone and put it in her bag. The next morning, the woman came across a man who was traveling in the area. After a few minutes talk the man told the woman that all his food was gone and that he had eaten nothing since the previous day. The wise woman did not hesitate; she immediately opened her bag and offered to share her food with the stranger.

When the woman was taking the food out of her bag, the precious stone glittered and caught the eye of the man.

He could not help himself and asked the woman for the precious stone. The woman, who had already proven her generosity, reached into her bag and gave the stranger the precious gem.

The stranger said goodbye to the woman, cheerful and thankful for his good fortune. It was clear to him that if he sold the precious gem, the money he would earn would ensure him financial security for the rest of his life.

A few days later the stranger came back to the mountains, looking for the woman. Something was troubling him. He had to speak to the woman before he sold the stone. When he finally found the woman he said to her: “I have decided to give you back the stone”. The woman looked at the stranger and said nothing.” I have thought long about this, and arrived at the conclusion that though this stone is worth much money, it is possible that if I gave it back to you, I could get something even more valuable”. The woman continued to be silent, “the thing I want, is for you to give me your ability to give this precious stone to me without even knowing me”…

Wisdom is knowing to ask people for the secret of their inner wealth. Material wealth is ultimately bought with money, but inner wealth is priceless.