There once was a very fine craftsman named Job, who had fashioned many beautiful, fine quality jewels in the land. He had worked hard all his life, learned from skilled masters, knew how to use the tools of his trade, and was committed to creating splendid, eye-catching designs. Job, The Seeker his friends called him, for he was well known for his dedication to seeking personal happiness and satisfaction in his work.
Throughout his life, Job, The Seeker had created custom jewels for his many clients. Now Job realized he was ready for more. He wanted to spread his wings, to have more people enjoy his creativity and the wonderful quality and beauty of his work.
And so he decided, one day, to create a very impressive jewel. It would be a jewel that would capture the essence of what he had learned, what he had done and what he had accomplished. A jewel that would be photographed and seen by many and, enthralled by its beauty and splendor, they would come to him to see the real thing, his wondrous creation.
Job knew roughly what it would look like and what it would be made of. There would be gold, and platinum, and diamonds and emeralds and other precious stones. And it would be built from scratch, a step at a time.
So Job, The Seeker went to his storeroom, and to his laboratory, and into his house and his neighborhood, to every place where he had raw materials that he could use, and he gathered all the raw materials into his laboratory and began to work with them. There were rocks and rough stones; there were bits and pieces and larger chunks; there were powders that poured through the fingers like sand - these he handled with great care, lest he should pour them down the drain.
As best he could, he separated these materials into bins, so he would know what he had to work with. And after he had done this, he rested.
Now Job began to process the raw materials. He added the right catalyst and started the chemistry of extraction. He extracted lots of gold; and then the platinum. He separated the many diamonds and emeralds and other precious and semi-precious stones so he could examine them one by one. And when he had done all this, he laid it all out on a table so he could see what he had.
He looked at all this beautiful material on the table and realized that he couldn't use it all. It was too much! And besides, he still had only a rough idea of what the finished jewel would look like. So Job, The Seeker looked and thought, and thought and looked. "Where do I go from here?” he asked himself.
Distracted by his thoughts, he started to pull out the gold and platinum pieces and the stones that he liked best, and he put them on another table. And then he began to think, "What kind of jewel can I fashion from these beautiful metals and precious stones that I like best?" And he decided that it should be a necklace. A beautiful jewel that he would display and wear around his neck with great pride and joy, because it would be a reflection of himself, what he liked and did best, and his best work of art.
So a necklace it would be. But not losing sight of his goal, Job, The Seeker thought hard about what such a jewel would look like so others would want to come see it, and come to see him wear it. And he thought he knew, but he wasn't sure. So he went out from his lab, and visited with some of his friends, and some of his friends' friends, and he asked them. And they told him what they thought. And he read books and magazines and many articles to find out what his necklace should look like so people would want to see it, and come to see him wear it. And he found out.
Now, what he found out was that such a jewel should be designed carefully. It should have simple lines. It should sparkle at a glance but not be overwhelming. It should not be crowded with lots of gold and platinum and precious stones. But it should have only the most beautiful and polished gold and platinum and only the most precious of the diamonds and emeralds. Above all, he found out, those beautiful materials should be constructed in a way that really showed the most valuable qualities that Job could put into the jewel; it should reflect his training and his other creations and how he had made many others happy. It should be a sparkling reflection of his wonderful skills and the quality that he had always been so proud of.
So he looked over the gold and platinum pieces he had selected, and the diamonds and emeralds and other stones he had set aside and from these he took the very very best, the ones that would really do credit to his wondrous workmanship.
And so, carefully, one step at a time, one piece at a time, he designed that necklace, he built it, and he polished it. Then he looked at it, and it was beautiful. And he showed it to his friends, and they made some more suggestions, and he made some small changes... and then it was finished.
And Job, The Seeker rested.
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