Another Excerpt

"A young woman told her mother that the pain in her life was so difficult that she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. As soon as one problem was solved, another one arose. The mother took the girl to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
"In about 20 minutes the woman turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me, what do you see?' 'Carrots, eggs and coffee,' came the reply. The mother then brought her daughter closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the girl to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich flavor, and then asked, 'What's the point, Mom?'
"Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong and hard, but after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin, outer shell had protected its liquid inside, its inside had become hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water."