Once upon a time, a diamond was born. He was nothing striking, but rather rough, like the rest of his family. He lived in the darkness and was very content to do just that. As a young diamond he heard tales of how some of his ancestors had left the darkness to a place of light, but that didn't concern him. One day he began to hear noise in the distance, and it came progressively closer. It was the sound of machinery with men talking and often yelling over the roar of the equipment. As time progressed, an opening was made in the cave where he lived. A man walked by, stooped and obviously in pain. The diamond learned that this man had been hurt on the job and was very concerned about his family, which depended upon his income. As he heard about the man the diamond shed a tear.

And then the …