Jentezen Franklin - Acres of Diamonds: Discovering Gods Best Right Where You Are

I n 1869, near the banks of the Tigris River, Russell Conwell found himself on the back of a camel, listening to what seemed like the thousandth story told by his Arab guide. An attorney who had once attended Yale, Conwell was getting tired of his guides vast treasury of stories, but, he later wrote, he was always glad he had listened to this one. His guide told of a man called Ali Hafed, who owned a large farm. I imagine he had a camel and a plow to work his land. He labored tirelessly for everything he had, day after day. In many ways, Ali Hafed was blessed, and he was contentuntil, that is, he had the pleasure of entertaining a stranger one day. An old priest came to visit, and by Ali Hafeds fireside, he told Ali Hafed about the discovery of diamonds in a distant land. With a handful of diamonds, the priest claimed, one could buy a whole country. With a mine of diamonds, one could place his children upon thrones.

That night, as Conwell explained when he shared this story, Ali Hafed went to bed a poor man. His contentment had evaporated, unseated by thoughts of the diamonds he did not have. The next day, he sought out the priest and begged, Tell me where I can find diamonds.

The priest answered, If you find a river between high mountains that runs through white sands, in those white sands, you will always find diamonds.

I want a mine of diamonds! became the cry of Ali Hafeds heart, and that day, he determined to chase his dream. He sold his farm. He hugged his wife and kids good-bye. And with a final, bold declaration, he said to them, When I come back, well be fabulously wealthy. Youll be set for life.

Then Ali Hafed went off as a soldier of fortune, hunting for diamonds. He went to East Africa. No diamonds. He went to Palestine. No diamonds. He went to Europe. No diamonds. Finally, after consuming all of his wealth in search of greater fortune, Ali Hafed wandered into Spain. Still no diamonds. In Spain, this discontented man reached the point of such despair that he decided to end his life. He stood on a shore, watched a giant wave thunder toward him, and jumped into the raging waters, never to be seen again.

One day, the man who bought Ali Hafeds farm was leading his camel to a stream on his new property. It might, I imagine, have been the same camel Ali Hafed had owned. As the camel drank, a curious flash of light in the stream caught the mans eye. Looking closer, he reached down and pulled out a black stone. He noticed that when the sunlight hit it, the stone lit up with all the colors of the rainbow. The man thought to himself, Pretty stone . Then he walked back to his house, laid the stone on a mantel as a decoration and forgot all about it.

The next day, the same priest who had told Ali Hafed about diamonds stopped by. As he was talking to the new owner, the priest paused abruptly in midsentence. His eyes had fallen on the black rock sitting on the mantel.

Pointing to the stone, the priest exclaimed, Thats a diamond!

The farmer shook his head. Nothing of the sort. Its just a stone.

Im telling you, the priest insisted, its a diamond. Where did you get it?

Ill show you.

The priest followed the farmer to the garden by the stream. When they stirred up the white sand with their fingers, countless diamonds appeared, bigger and shinier than the first. The man who had bought the farm from Ali Hafed had inadvertently discovered the diamond mine of Golconda, the most magnificent diamond mine in history. In fact, crown jewels worn by royalty all over the world, including the Queen Mother in England, come from this very minefrom the same land, the same garden, the same stream and with the same camel that Ali Hafed had left behind.

Ali Hafed had traveled the world to find what hed had all along. He never realized the potential of the place where he was. He never realized that he had been living on acres of diamonds. He thought, If I could just go to Africa, or Palestine, or Europe, or Spain, I will find great worth . All the while, diamonds lay right under his feet.

This story became part of a speech that Conwell was asked to give 6,152 times in his life, a fact included in Ripleys Believe It or Not! Years later, he turned it into a book, Acres of Diamonds , which became a bestseller. Conwell poured the profits into the newly built Temple University, founded in Philadelphia in 1884.

What especially messed me up about this story is that the man who bought the same farm, the same garden, the same stream and the same camel that Ali Hafed thought were worthless turned them into acres of diamonds. You may feel the same way Ali Hafed did. You may think your life is worthless. You may think where you live is worthless. You may think your spouse is worthless. You may think your job is worthless. You may undervalue where you are and all you have. Know that there is hidden potential where you are right now. In your job. In the little town where you live. In your current marriage. In your family. In your church. The answer to your dreams may be right at your fingertips, if only you could see what is possible and believe.