Visualize walking down the beach. Grains of sand line the shore. There are so many that it’s impossible to count them all. In search of a treasure, you pick up seashells and place them in a bucket. 

Although you have taken this route many times before, today you hoped to find something more. Many shells were far too familiar. They were like tiny specks compared to the vast open sea. Significant yet insignificant at the same time, they merely blended into the scene. Treasures were right before your eyes, yet you overlooked gems searching for pearls.

Gifts and talents that come naturally to you may seem simple. This may cause you to assume that others experience the same ease. In turn, you may view them as insignificant. 

While they may be effortless for you, this doesn’t make them unimportant. These gifts have been given to you by grace. It isn’t your role to determine their value. It’s your responsibility to take what you have been given and make the most of it. 

Potential isn’t something to find. It’s already inside. Possibilities aren’t just in dreams. It takes faith to believe.

Treasures are right before our eyes, yet many miss gems searching for pearls at the bottom of the sea.

Julie Barbera in Cracked Mirror, Clear Reflection: Shatter an Illusion of Perfection, 2019.