Parable Of The Rose
A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it
blossomed, he examined it.  He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but
noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought........

How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many
sharp thorns?

Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it
was ready to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people.  Within every soul there is a rose The
God-like qualities planted in us at birth growing amid the thorns of our
faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the
defects.  We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from
us.  We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies.  We
never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must
show it to them.  One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to
be able to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others.

This is the characteristic of love .... to look at a person and know
their true faults.  Accepting that person into your life, while
recognizing the nobility in their soul.  Help them to realize that they
can overcome their faults.  If we show them the rose, they will conquer
their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.