A Parable

Once there was a man An upright man He worked very hard He bought a house up in the hills one day A beautiful well kept cobblestone house Which looked down a delightful valley He dressed the home in the most beautiful ornaments Carpets from Persia Linens from the Nile Paintings and statues from Florence But as the house grew in beauty Its owner wasted away looking for more riches and fame. Then one day an enemy came and feed the house With kerosene before lighting up a fire The house went up in flames The village came and vainly tried to put out the master But his growl grew only louder and they watched As the windows burst and the walls fell Until the house and its beauty fell on its knees to ash When the man returned, his heart could not bear it And he died upon seeing his glory fall to the soil. The riches of the world all perished but riches in heaven live to an endless day.