“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?”
– Rumi
Have you every seen a rock tumbler in action?
You throw in a few rough stones and they get tumbled around and around in coarse sand.
Rub, rub, rub the sand chips away at the rough edges.
Then, the coarse sand is replaced with finer sand. And the tumbling begins again. It’s a process of repeated refinement and repetitive tumbling that eventually turns the rough stone into a polished gem.
That’s how Life teaches us.
It starts off bringing us coarse lessons. Because our edges (our learning edges) are rough. We don’t notice the subtle lessons. They go right by. We need something coarse to get our attention.
But, if you pay attention – you’ll be polished. And as you’re polished, your lessons get more refined.
Rumi is reminding you (and all of us) to appreciate the rubs that Life brings.
Don’t push them away or ignore them. Let them in. To take the tumbling to heart. It’s not a punishment.
It’s a process of learning and refinement.
Those irritating people and situations – they’re the sand Life is tumbling you around in.
Why? To smooth the rough edges.
So . . .
Who are the coarse people that are rubbing you the “wrong” way?
What rough edges – in you – are they irritating?
What inner shifts in attitude would convert the irritation into polishing?
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