BREAKING
THE MOLD

Topics: Humanity; Significance; Worth

References: Job 7:17; John 3:16; Romans 8:31–32

Many years ago, I purchased a Christmas plate for my wife, Judy. The price was $21.95. It was the first Christmas plate produced by Hummel in Germany, and the store clerk assured me it would increase in value.

Recently Judy and I attended an auction and were surprised to see a Hummel Christmas plate just like ours being sold for more than $1,000. What was it about the plate that caused this remarkable growth in value? Its substance had not changed; it was not more beautiful, nor had it changed in size. But it was in greater demand. The original mold had been broken. Now only a limited number of plates were available, with no opportunity for replacement. All of these factors had contributed to an increased value.

So it is with us: there is only one mold per person and no opportunity for replacement.

—C. William Pollard, The Soul of the Firm (Zondervan, 2000)