One day a young woman came to her Teacher, contented and happy. “Lord, it has been quite the season, hasn’t it?” she asked, sitting down at His feet.
He looked knowingly on her smiling eyes, and nodded slowly. “It has,” He replied. “You have learned so much.”
She sighed and leaned up against his knees. “You have taught me to move mountains, Lord. It has been so very hard, and now those mountains seem so small! But my spirit is so much stronger.”
The Teacher was quiet and put His hand on her shoulder. She turned to look up at Him. “So, what’s next? What else lies before me?”
“My Daughter,” the Teacher answered. “Take in the joy of this moment. What’s next will come when it is time.”
* * * *
Several days later, the woman returned, her face now downcast, and tearstains on her cheeks. She sat down at her Teacher’s feet without a word, holding her head in her hands.
After some time, she finally spoke. “Lord, what’s happening? What is this pain?”
The Teacher’s heart was breaking with the Truth. “It is another mountain,” He said.
“Another mountain?!” the girl cried. “But I just finished with one! This isn’t fair! This isn’t…” she paused for a moment. “Can I move this one too, Lord?”
She refused to let go of her Hope.
It took a few moments before the reply. “No,” the Teacher answered. “You cannot move this one.”
“But… why? I thought I was to learn to move mountains? That through You, all things were possible?”
“This… is different. You must now learn to go through the mountain.”
The girl was shocked. “Through it? Why through it? If I can’t move it, can’t I just go around it, or even over it?” She could begin to feel the fear rising inside of her. “Lord,” she begged. “Just help me move it… isn’t that more impressive? Doesn’t that show more of your glory?”
It hurt Him deeply to see her like this, but He took her hand in hers. “You must go through the mountain to get inside the mountain…”
His face was changing now, a twinkle in His eyes as He paused in His reply.
“For inside, my Daughter… there, you will find diamonds.”
