In the ancient east, there is told the story of a young girl who sought the secret to the meaning of life. She went to the wisest woman in her village.

"What must I do to find the treasure I seek?" the girl inquired, eagerly awaiting the response.

"Far, far away, on the other side of the sea, you will find nestled in the foothills, a mountain cave. In the cave, there is a silver pearl. Retrieve the pearl, and you will have the answer you seek," came the reply.

The girl went forth to find the priceless pearl. She rowed for many hours across the sea, until finally, she spied the mountain cave. Climbing to the opening, she was at last able to peer inside. Squinting into the darkness, she saw a large, silver pearl glistening brightly even in the shadows. But she saw, too, that the pearl was tightly clasped in the claws of a huge, ferocious dragon. The young girl hid behind a rock, plotting and planning to retrieve the pearl. But the dragon held firm, and eventually the girl gave up and returned home, reconciling herself to her everyday life.

Over the years, she grew into a lovely young woman, so busy that she forgot about the silver pearl. First there was the arrangement of her marriage to a suitable young man. Then there were her babies--first steps, studies, and marriages of their own, children no more. Along the way, there were the inevitable joys and losses, births and deaths, years of good crops and bad. And now one of the oldest women in the village,, she thought again of the silver pearl.

Without a moment's hesitation, she set out across the sea, traveling for many hours, until at last, she stood at the opening to the mountain cave, peering once more into the darkness. As her eyes adjusted, she saw something wondrous, indeed. While the dragon still clutched the pearl tightly, the once fearsome beast had shrunk to the size of a harmless lizard. She easily plucked the pearl from its grip and carried it home.

The fierce battle that she'd plotted in her youth had been fought and won inside her heart as she met the challenges of her daily life. It was not really the dragon that had diminished in size. It was she who had grown in inner strength and stature. She had found the treasure in the living of her everyday life.

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