One rich man had a fine blooded stallion. Another had a pure black bull that was almost man-high at the shoulders. Another a sleek prize coursing dog, another a leopard, another a storied falcon. But the richest man of all had none of these things. What he showed off to guests was a swampy, shallow inlet laid out in rows of oysters. They were mud-colored and of no great size.

The visitor tried to put it tactfully. “If one may ask, the oysters, ah, perhaps they are good eating?”

The host smiled. “Wait a bit, the tide is starting to come in.” As the new water eddied into the inlet, the shells cracked up and open just a little and the stooping, peering visitor was startled. “There’s something white in there!”

“Yes,” the host said. “Pearls.”

…

You are of no particular worth or merit. But to God your gratitude is a pearl.