Each day a raw pearl is given
solely into our hands,
to be crafted into our liking,
to be added into our ribbon.
Sometimes we drop a pearl
in mud and just stick it in.
Some pearls leave our hands
raw, unpolished or broken.
Some become real gems
that delight us for a long time.
Each day we get a pearl
of an unexpected shape.
Some of them we try to fashion
into what they are not.
Sometimes we succeed in revealing
the hidden beauty of a raw pearl.
Occasionally we fail to create what we want
and keep staring at the defectiveness,
neglecting the new ones we receive.
Sometimes we create a masterpiece
that we gaze in awe for many days,
forgetting to labor with the new ones.
At other times we look for a certain shape or color
and ignore the different ones given into our hands.
Day by day we assemble our necklace
that we wear wherever we go.
Sometimes we delight in other people's necklaces
and try to rob them but they are not ours to wear.
We can not pick a single gem
that has not gone through our hands.
Our ribbon of pearls is solely for us,
solely of our making, one pearl at a time.
It rests around our neck
and is revealed to everyone.
Tonight a pearl leaves our hands
and joins the ribbon for ever.
Let it go and greet tomorrow's pearl
with open mind and curiosity.