The spirit is so near that you can't see it!
But reach for it...Don't be a jar
Full of water, whose rim is always dry.
Don't be the rider who gallops all night
And never sees the horse that is beneath him.
~ Rumi from "The Jar With the Dry Rim" in WHEN GRAPES TURN TO WINE: VERSIONS OF RUMI
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Leonardo da Vinci knew that God helps those who help themselves and that this could be hard work. The labor that brings us all good things is more than just our effort in the outer world — it is a reflection of our inner work and ethical awareness. Leonardo's prayer illustrated this: "Thou, O God, dost sell unto us all good things at the price of labor."