A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point, he asked: ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’ His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:
Actually, I am writing about you, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’
The boy looked at the pencil and seemed puzzled. It didn’t seem very special. He said it looks like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’ His grandmother said, “That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to follow them, you will always be a person who is at peace with the world.’
‘First quality: You are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. This guiding hand can be your parents, teachers, friends, or faith. They come at different stages of your life to guide you along.’
‘Second quality: Now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterward, it’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person and help you grow.’
‘Third quality: The pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing, it helps to keep us on the road to righteousness.’
‘Fourth quality: What really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the led inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you rather than what is happening around you.’
‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: It always leaves a mark. In just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.’