Jan. 27, 2010 — Stumbled-upon treasure

His name was Frederick Wells, and he was the superintendent in a South African mine. Every morning he inspected the mine for safety and efficiency, and most days he found nothing noteworthy.

But one morning in 1905, he happened to look up and spotted what he later called "a flash of starlight in the wall." It turned out to be a 3,000-plus-carat diamond, the largest diamond ever found.

Named the Cullinan after the mine's owner, it was eventually split into more than 100 diamond stones worth many millions of dollars.

Well, Jesus once told a parable about a man who discovered a pearl of great price, symbolic of God. Perhaps we, too, will stumble upon such a treasure.

Just a thought. I'm Sid Batts from First Presbyterian Church in downtown Greensboro, fpcgreensboro.org.