If diamonds were as plentiful as pebbles, no one would want them. The rarest flower on Earth grows on the Alpine Heights and it derives its value from the fact that only the most daring hand can pluck it. For every pearl that ever glittered on a Queen's crown, some daring diver had to risk himself beneath the waves.
If everything could be obtained without searching, without effort, life would become superficial - we would miss half the fascination of living. We have to search for the rarest treasures; the things of greatest worth cannot be attained without sacrifice.
Author John R. Gunn writes that, "This same principle applies in the spiritual realm. God has hidden many things from us. Not that He does not want us to have them, but that we may have the refining discipline of searching for them. A wholesome effect results from the effort to discover hidden things. Also, He wants us to enjoy the keen delight of discovery. The pleasure of possession is enhanced by previous pursuit. The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a treasure hid in a field - ask, seek, knock are the key words which unlock the doors to the divine kingdom of truth and righteousness. Search the scriptures - it is only by earnest searching that we can discover the hidden things of God's word and His kingdom and make them our own."