Over the past few weeks I've been pondering the importance of honesty and how it applies to life. A couple of days ago I went to a place that buys and sells jewelry to see if they would purchase a diamond ring of mine. After examining the ring under a magnifying glass the jeweler said they wouldn't be interested in the ring. When I asked why he said there was a small chip in the diamond under one of the prongs and that it wasn't worth the cost to re-cut and set it.
This was a surprise as I hadn't know about the chip- but now I did. While on my way to a pawn shop I pondered the unfortunate news and my dilemma. I wondered if the pawn shop would notice the chip and if not if I should tell them about it. I struggled with what to do. I wanted to sell the ring but I didn't want to feel guilty about it. I asked myself if it would be dishonest if I withheld what I knew. All sorts of thoughts to justify withholding this pertinent information popped into my mind.
Unfortunately I hadn't made up my mind before I walked into the shop but when I briefly showed the ring to the clerk he wasn't interested in it either. I don't know what I would have done at that time if the clerk had made an offer for the ring, but fortunately I wasn't tested with that temptation. Afterwards I pondered how I would have felt if I'd sold the ring and know I would have felt guilty for being dishonest.
The Lord has commands us to be honest:
The first part of our 13th Article of Faith states that "We believe in being honest..." and President Gordon B. Hinckely said:
This was a surprise as I hadn't know about the chip- but now I did. While on my way to a pawn shop I pondered the unfortunate news and my dilemma. I wondered if the pawn shop would notice the chip and if not if I should tell them about it. I struggled with what to do. I wanted to sell the ring but I didn't want to feel guilty about it. I asked myself if it would be dishonest if I withheld what I knew. All sorts of thoughts to justify withholding this pertinent information popped into my mind.
Unfortunately I hadn't made up my mind before I walked into the shop but when I briefly showed the ring to the clerk he wasn't interested in it either. I don't know what I would have done at that time if the clerk had made an offer for the ring, but fortunately I wasn't tested with that temptation. Afterwards I pondered how I would have felt if I'd sold the ring and know I would have felt guilty for being dishonest.
The Lord has commands us to be honest:
"And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you" (Doctrine & Covenants 51:9).Choosing not to tell a potential buyer that the ring had a chip in it would be dishonest so I stopped trying to sell the ring and accepted that it was flawed. This experience may seem minor but it has increased my reflection upon the importance of honesty.
The first part of our 13th Article of Faith states that "We believe in being honest..." and President Gordon B. Hinckely said:
"What a destructive thing is a little dishonesty. It has become a cankering disease in society" ("I Believe," Ensign, Aug 1992, 2).Honesty is a basic virtue because without it we cannot repent. To repent we must first become honest with ourselves, the Lord, and others. Honesty is also the first step in overcoming addictions and destructive habits. May we open our eyes and recognize within ourselves those areas in which we are not completely honest and then repent and become clean.
What about the person or company that sold the ring to you. What about their integrity and honesty. Confront them with the flawed ring that they fraudulently sold to you.