The Parable of the Sculptor’s Apprentice

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, how does a person choose between two dreams?”

Josh spoke thus:

A sculptor was in love with a piece of stone.

“This stone,” the sculptor told the sculptor’s apprentice, “This stone contains a fabulous beauty.”

“Is the beauty in the purity of the stone?” the sculptor’s apprentice asked the sculptor.  The sculptor’s apprentice placed a hand on the piece of stone.  The surface of the piece of stone was unblemished.  The stone had a very fine, very regular grain.

“It is indeed a very fine piece of stone,” the sculptor said, “I might leave it unsculpted and it would be a wonder as it is.  But this stone is not destined to be a wonder as it is.  This stone is not destined to be unsculpted.  This stone contains a fabulous beauty.”

“Has there been a commission?” the sculptor’s apprentice asked the sculptor.  The sculptor received many commissions, and many of those commissions were for beautiful women.  “From whom has there been a commission?”

“There has been no commission,” the sculptor told the sculptor’s apprentice, “This stone is too special for a commission.  This stone contains a fabulous beauty.”

The sculptor’s apprentice guessed now that the sculptor was in love.  The sculptor must be in love with a fabulous beauty, and the sculptor must be going to sculpt the fabulous beauty.  The fabulous beauty with whom the sculptor must be in love must be the fabulous beauty in the stone.  The sculptor’s apprentice said this to the sculptor.

“You’re wrong,” the sculptor said, “I have no beauty to sculpt out of this stone.  I am not in love.  You, my apprentice, you are in love.”

The sculptor’s apprentice was indeed in love.  But the sculptor’s apprentice was not in love with a fabulous beauty.  The sculptor’s apprentice was in love with two fabulous beauties.

“How did you know I was in love?” the sculptor’s apprentice asked the sculptor.

“I know by the way that you look at that stone,” the sculptor said to the sculptor’s assistant, “I know by the way that you are in love with that stone.  I know by the way you see a fabulous beauty in that stone.”

But the sculptor’s apprentice did not see a fabulous beauty in the stone, because the sculptor’s apprentice always saw two beauties.  The sculptor’s apprentice told this to the sculptor.

“Then you must choose,” the sculptor said.

“But how?” the sculptor’s assistant asked.

The sculptor replied, “This stone will tell you.  This stone contains a fabulous beauty.”