Diamonti, The Journey of a Diamond in the Rough

At the bottom of a deep, dark mine in faraway South Africa, there lived a boy named Diamonti.
Diamonti was a diamond in the rough. He was uneven looking, rough, and sharp around the
edges, and if you will forgive me for saying so, he looked rather dirty. If you happened to come
across him, you would surely think he was nothing more than a common stone or perhaps even a
potato.

His mother, however, was one of the brightest shining diamonds the other gems in the
mine had ever seen. She was legendary in their underground community. She sparkled and
glistened from every angle. She had not a scratch on her; she was flawless. And most of all, her
beauty was more than skin deep. She was also the kindest diamond in the mine. The parents of
the other diamonds in the rough, or “roughies” as they were commonly known, all hoped their
children would one day shine like her. In fact, Diamonti’s mother’s name was Hope.

Diamonti, or Monti as his mother called him, knew that one day he would need to leave
the safety and comfort of the mine to go out into the world and lose his rough edges so that he
could shine. Even though he had known the day would come, he was still shocked one ordinary
Sunday morning when his mother greeted him with a small case containing his meager
belongings. Although he was afraid to admit it, he was nervous. He just didn’t know how he
would get rid of his rough edges. They seemed to be a part of him, and he could not imagine
ever shining as brightly as his mother.

His mother seemed to sense his anxiety and reminded him that he would not be alone.
All the other roughies would be leaving today as well; even his younger cousin, Markie, would
be venturing out. She also reminded him of the four c’s that every roughie knew were the keys
to being flawless: courage, compassion, character, and curiosity. It seemed like such a simple
message, and Monti didn’t think it was quite enough information to help him on his journey.

Hope gently took Monti by the hand and led him toward the opening of the mine, where
the others were already waiting. Some of the roughies looked a little muddy around the eyes, and
he could tell they had been crying. Leaving the mine required courage.

As she did every year, Hope lined the roughies up and had them start working on their
first task. They needed to work together to create a staircase that would allow them to climb out
of the mine. After a few hours of gathering and piling rocks, they managed to create a wobbly,
winding staircase that led from their dark home into the bright light near the mine’s entrance.

Hope said they would need a volunteer to give each roughie a boost onto the first rock.
Monti quickly raised his hand, and one by one, as the roughies climbed onto his head, he gave a
little jump and they were hoisted up onto the first rock. When he was finished and all the
roughies had bounced on his head, it was his own turn. He got a push from one of the older
gentleman diamonds and was quickly on his way, not surprisingly with a bit of a headache.

When he looked back to wave goodbye from the opening of the mine, he noticed a small
pile of dust and dirt where he had been standing. He didn’t realize it had come from the top of
his head and that there was now a small glimmer of a sparkle in its place.