You were born with a gift. You can think of it as a beautiful white pearl. This gift, this pearl, is meant to be shared with the world. As a child, you were excited to share your gift with others. But over the years, as you accumulate disappointments, rejection, and hurts, your pearl becomes dark and encrusted.

With each passing year, a layer is added to your pearl. One day, you notice you’re carrying around a dark lump and wonder how you got it. You’ve forgotten there is a pearl buried deep inside.

Most people either get used to the lump or they simply throw it away. But a select few remember the gift they were given. They understand that their life’s task is to keep breaking through the layers until the pearl is discovered once again. Then, and only then, can they share the beauty of their pearl—their precious gift—with the world.

Your task today, and every day, is to do the work of uncovering your pearl. Some days you will feel cynical or discouraged. Other days you will feel tired and hopeless.

It doesn’t matter. Even on those days, you must work at keeping your gift, your pearl, beautiful and restored. Don’t let it get encrusted, and by all means, don’t ever throw it away.

The world needs your gift.