As a youth the boy always admired the look of a shiny rock. He would go to the lake and pick up the smooth flat rocks and hold them in his hands enjoying the smoothness and the uniqueness of each one of them. Little did he know that this fascination would soon lead to be something that he would pour his heart and sole into as he grew older.
He is now a gemologist. Polishing rocks has become one of his bigger goals in life. As a Gemologist he spends countless hours polishing a stone until it looks ever so shiny. It is not an easy task. He has seen many rocks in his lifetime. The rocks that have headed back to the rock pile have out-numbered the ones that make it to gems at a rate of one in nine. What was wrong with those rocks that didn't make it. Some had little imperfections, some had large imperfections. Some were destined to become something else besides a gem. Some did not amount to much of anything at all. What happened to that one rock that did become a gem? How and why did it happen? Many things can contribute to the success of this rock, none of which stands out as the biggest contributor than the gemologist. This man will spend countless hours working with the rock, he cuts it, sands it, and finely polishes it to a very high gloss. Why, because this is the way that this rock will become the most valuable. This rock will earn the respect and admiration of everyone who sees this rock. It will no longer be seen as a rock but will be considered to be a gem. In the terms of Webster, a gem is described as "a precious stone, cut and polished or something admired for its beauty and perfection". The gemologist will never spend as much time with this rock as he did when he was polishing it, a rock into which he poured his heart and soul in order that it be considered with the greatness of a gem. The gemologist is very very proud of his work, but knows that it would be ever so selfish to keep this to himself, and with his unselfishness he shares this gem with the world. Then this gem is placed in some type of jewelry and/or sold.
What will happen to this gem may never be known. Some will end up on a ring, a necklace, or maybe even a crown. Wherever this gem ends up, it will always be considered a gem to someone. How long it is, is determined by the purchaser of the jewel. They may abuse it, let it get dirty, keep it in a drawer, and hardly ever use it. It may be used only to represent something that someone is not. It may be used to give others a feeling that the owner is great when he/she is not. It may be used as a sign of greatness to someone who truly deserves it. There is one thing that is almost for sure, the gemologist that made the gem from a rock will have little to say about its destiny. He would only hope and pray that it would be used with great honor, for that is why he polished it so diligently. He never can be sure but would be very proud if it did. The future of that gem is not in his hands, its shine is out of his control, and its greatness is determined by others, but mostly the gem itself.
How is the scoutmaster, more importantly, the scouting program, and a gemologist the same? They work hard to get to a finished product that will be admired by many. They work with many tools in order to reach their goal. The gemologist uses saws, stones, buffing wheels, and polishes. The Boy Scouts of America uses their advancement program, leadership skills, and the Oath and Law for their goal. What is the results? The gemologist has a gem of great value, the Boy Scouts have their Eagle Scouts with great skills, leadership abilities, and good values. What will happen to the treasures? Who knows, will the gem always be admired? If it is kept up and polished occasionally it will shine for a long time. If it is left untouched it will gather dust and become much less desirable. No matter how much tarnish, dirt, and grime this gem has, its core will still be a gem. What about the Eagle Scout? If they never take into consideration the scouting values and skills, they will tarnish and get dirty with time. Will they still be considered gems? Yes, but will they be as admired and shine bright without an occasional polishing? No! What type of gem are you going to be? Don’t waste a valuable gem, by allowing it to be dirty and tarnished when it could be admired by many.
Mr. F
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