Each one of us is truly a marvel, don’t you think? Think about it: We treasure gold as a precious metal because it never stops shining, and it never degrades. Precious stones like diamonds, rubies and emeralds receive the sun’s light and they sparkle before our eyes, and we treasure them. We marvel at plants and trees that grow and grow as they take in sunlight, converting it into new life in their cells via photosynthesis, and we brighten and smile at beautiful flowers, and at the luscious fruits, some plants produce.

But now, what would you say about something that has an ability to learn and grow in ways that never ends, whose ability to think, reason and talk can increase year by year? How about something whose ability to bring happiness can improve every year and on into eternity? Does this being I now describe sound almost too good to be true?

The truth is, that there are creatures or beings that are more constant and more valuable than gold or silver, and can shine even more than diamonds and emeralds…ones that can grow to bring even more happiness than all of the plants and trees on Earth combined! There is something that can learn to become more and more intelligent and skillful than the cleverest animal. And this gift from God is the most precious gift God has ever made in all of Creation.