The Ruby Pendant

At a moment in history, there was a woman who lived near a jewelry store. Everyday that she walked past it on her way to work, she would glance inside the window, just wishing that the precious and fine pieces could someday be hers. One day as she was looking in, she spotted a ruby pendant necklace and decided to walk in for the first time.

She asked the clerk what the price was on the ruby pendant necklace. After hearing the price, it shook her to her core. She thought to herself, "If my life had a price tag, it would be about a million dollars less than that!" After this day, she worked everyday of her life and stowed away money towards his piece. It was the only thing she wanted. She thought about nothing else but this ruby pendant. Many things crossed her path; friends would try to persuade her to take a day off of her insane work schedule to go out and eat, but she was convinced they were only getting in her way. In exchange, there would be many days at a time when she would starve herself since she would have unpaid lunch and dinner breaks. Although hungry and irritated, she had done this in hopes of the little amount of money she had in her early days adding up to finally be enough for this piece she had always desired to own. Opportunities would arise for her to go on dates with men who were inspired by her grit and confidence, but she would turn them down in hopes of owning this fine piece. Nothing reached as deep into her heart as this love for this pendant.

One day in her old age (and past retirement), she had finally saved enough money. As she walked as fast as she was able to at her age to the jewelry store, a rich woman held the door open for her. The rich woman made it to counter first and to the old woman's surprise, bought the pendant she had always dreamt of. The old woman begged and pleaded for the rich woman to give her the necklace, and, in return, the money the rich woman spent to buy it would be paid back to her with the money that the old woman had saved up all her life. But no matter what she said, the rich woman refused and the old woman's words failed to reach her. "I had seen this necklace in the window of the store ever since I was little and dreamed of making it my own. I grew up poor, but recently married a rich man and finally have enough to purchase it. For this reason, I cannot give it to you." No matter how hard she tried, the rich woman held onto this pendant. It was her right.

The clerk watched the whole thing happen from behind the counter. "What is your name ma'am?," the clerk asked in a gentle, somber tone. "Cecilia. I have been working towards this necklace for my entire life." The clerk asked her why. At this point in Cecilia's life, she couldn't actually remember the reason. After a few moments of silence, the clerk decided to speak out above Cecilia's thoughts. "I can give you something more priceless and valuable, but it won't even cost you a penny!" Cecilia slowly looked up from her deep thought with an obvious, yet slight glimmer of hope returning to her eyes. The clerk smiled brighter than a ruby and disappeared behind the counter and into the back room.

After a few minutes, the clerk reappeared to Cecilia with an old leather book with a flimsy and worn cover. Cecilia looked slightly offended until the clerk began to share a story about the peace she felt after reading the story about a man named Jesus. With great enthusiasm, the clerk said that the man saved her life. The clerk explained to Cecilia that she was around her age and began to tell a story about how she had worked at the store her whole life. "I was once like you..." She explained that all of the items in the store were once her possessions. "The ruby pendant that you had always wanted was once my favorite necklace, too. You probably don't remember me, but I watched you peer into the window everyday to view it on your way to work. Then one day, you came in and asked me what the price was. And honestly...I made the price so high because I didn't want you to buy it." Cecilia teared up. "It was because I had just put it up for sale. And honestly at first, I was still so attached to it and thought it would be unbearably difficult to let it go...but then I was introduced to Jesus and realized that all of the things I owned would soon no longer be with me anyways. I thought that by owning them, they would make me happy, but I was sadly mistaken. For this reason, I decided to sell them all." The clerk then said she had been praying for Cecilia...begging the Lord to help her one day come to the same realization, no matter how long it took or what age she would be. Cecilia then asked the clerk how she was so happy even after giving up something that was so precious to her. "It was because I found something more valuable...and these shiny rocks were just stumbling blocks leading me away from the most beautiful and infinite treasure that waits for me in heaven."

From this moment, Cecilia realized that her blind dedication meant nothing, but that all of those years she toiled away were wasted. She fell to her knees and began to weep for an hour straight. The clerk comforted her. "Would it be too late for me to have this same treasure?" The clerk gently shook her head with a soft smile. But in this moment on the ground, Cecilia had a perspective change. Her focus shifted from the necklace and onto the clerk. "You...prayed for me? Why did you do that?" The clerk smiled, "I knew from the moment that I saw you that you were special. After I gave all of my possessions away and began to understand who Jesus was, I realized that people were so much more valuable; that moments and memories were something I could hold onto even when the world burned. It is not too late for you to come to Him; you just need to change your target. You're so dedicated and you've been commemorated by many people in this town. You may not know them anymore, and some of them have passed away with time, but you are an inspiration to the people in this town. You could be unstoppable with Christ!"

Cecilia decided to take the book the clerk had offered and read about Jesus for the rest of her life. She decided to instead use the money she saved up for the necklace to explore the world. She shared the good news that she had learned in those different places with people who were just like her in hopes that they would be saved from death and rescued from wasting their time. Before she passed away, she had realized that her life was now far more valuable than one million dollars because she was bought at a price by the King of the World and was written in the Book of Life, saved from eternal fire. When she died, she had not a penny to her name, but one million people attended her funeral! They each laid a precious possession of theirs at her gravestone, just as Cecilia had encouraged them to do in hopes that it would prove to them that eternal life is far more valuable than manmade treasures.

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
-Matthew 6:21

(She= the wisdom of the Lord)
"She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace."
Proverbs 3:15-17