I have no idea whether this story is true, but the message is powerful. It's entitled "The Pebble of Success" and reportedly took place in 1942. According to the account, Rafael Solano was physically exhausted and defeated. As he sat on a boulder in the dry river bed he announced to his companions, "I'm through. There's no use going on any longer. See this pebble. It makes 999,999 I've picked up without finding one diamond. One more pebble makes a million, but what's the use? I quit!"
The exploration crew had spent months prospecting for diamonds in a Venezuelan watercourse. Their efforts focused on finding signs of valuable diamonds. Mentally, physically, and emotionally they were exhausted. Their clothes were tattered and their spirits weak.
"Pick up one more and make it a million," one man said . Solano consented and pulled forth a stone the size of a hen's egg. It was different than the others, and the crew soon realized they had discovered a diamond. It is reported Harry Winston, a New York jewel dealer, paid Rafael Solano $200,000 for that millionth pebble. The stone was named the Liberator and to date is the largest and purest diamond ever found.
Harriet Beecher Stowe said, "Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." Rafael Solano would surely agree. Just one more time!
- Excerpt from Speaker's Sourcebook II by Glenn Van Ekeren
