A chunk of malachite sat in a place filled with cut and polished diamonds. The jagged green rock was different than the others, hiding when the diamonds rejected her. "You are ugly and vile!", the diamonds would cry, "Look at that hideous green color! You are not pure like us!" The diamonds' hardened exteriors cut into the malachite, scarring her. She was shunned and rebuked, her rough body cut deeply by the threatening diamonds.

And then one day, she managed to escape their torment. The broken stone now sat alone, away from the entitled diamonds. She finally was able to rest, though her mind was cluttered from their words and actions upon her. She began to tell herself that she was not wanted, unloved, ugly...

"Oh look at you!", another rock said nearby. The malachite did not realize that there was another there, a jagged chunk of amber. "What a beautiful stone you are!", the amber spoke.

"What? How could you say that? I'm a monster!", the malachite cried.

"Nonsense, who would ever say you were?", the amber asked.

"Well...the diamonds told me I was ugly and impure.", the malachite told him.

"You actually believe those diamonds? Listen, diamonds have been pressed so tough that they believe everything they say is true. They don't like any other stones and think that if you're not a diamond, you are imperfect or just wasted magma. The thing about diamonds is that they're never right - they don't accept anyone who isn't a diamond. In fact, they don't even accept who they really are.", the amber spoke.

"What do you mean by that?", the malachite asked him.

"Diamonds are merely hardened pencil lead. They're really graphite on the inside.", the amber replied. "Now do you see what I am saying? It doesn't matter what any of these elitists think about you, you are beautiful just the way you are. And one day, you'll be polished and put into a piece of jewelry where you can shimmer and glisten in ways diamonds can't. And then you'll see how very loved you are."

"I see now. How could I have ever believed what pencil lead told me?", the malachite questioned herself.

And that very day, an rock collector found both the malachite and amber, taking them to a place where they were made more beautiful than any diamond. The two were placed into beautiful jewelry that were worn by royalty, and eventually they were displayed in a museum where they could awe and inspire all who saw them for generations.

Be your own gemstone, and no matter what the diamonds say about you, remember that you are just as beautiful and loved as they are.

Besides, diamonds are just pencil lead on the inside.