There was a Diamond thief who sought to steal only the most exquisite of gems. This thief would hang around the diamond district to see who was purchasing a gem, so that later he could pick their pocket.

         One day he saw a well-known diamond merchant purchase the jewel he had been waiting for all his life. It was the most beautiful, the most pristine, the purest of diamonds. He was very excited, and so he followed the diamond merchant as he boarded the train, getting into the same compartment.

        He spent an entire three-day journey trying to pick the merchant’s pocket and obtain the diamond. When the end of the journey came and he hadn’t found the gem, he was very frustrated. He was an accomplished thief, and although he had employed all his skills, he still was not able to steal this rare and precious jewel. When the diamond merchant got of the train, the pickpocket followed him once again.

           Finally, he just couldn’t stand it anymore, and he walked up to the merchant and said, “Sir, I am a renowned diamond thief. I saw you purchase that beautiful diamond, so I followed you onto the train. Though I used all the skills of my art, which have been perfected over many years, I was not able to find the gem. I must know your secret. Tell me, please, how did you hide it from me?”

          The diamond merchant replied, “Well, I saw you watching me in the diamond district, and I suspected you were a pickpocket. So I hid the diamond where I thought you would be least likely to look for it—in your own pocket!” He then reached into the thief’s pocket and pulled out the diamond.

Papaji