Long ago there lived a rich man, Count Otho, who was father to a daughter whom he loved with all his heart. He raised her to be a good child, to love and respect God in all things - as all children ought.

On one occasion, Count Otho proved his love for his daughter in what might seem a very unusual way. That day, the young girl was playing near the hearth with a strand of lovely glass beads. As she went on with her game her father sat nearby, watching her by the fire. After a moment, he gently remarked.

"My child, these are pretty beads you are playing with."

"Yes, papa." She replied "They are very beautiful, and I am delighted with them."

The girl was delighted indeed, and her father knew she would be startled by his coming request.

"Well then," he said "take them up and throw them all into the fire."

His daughter stopped. She thought perhaps her father was joking, but one look at his searching face showed how serious he was.

The child was crestfallen, and hesitated a moment, as tears welled in her eyes. A violent battle waged within her as she struggled between her love for her father, who returned her love so abundantly, and her attachment to her pretty little beads.

Still watching his young daughter steadfastly, Count Otho told her. "Well, dear child, you may do as you choose - but you know that when I ask you to do something, it is always because I, who love you so tenderly, see that it will be the best for you."

Hearing this, the girl looked once more at the string of beads lying before her. Hard as it was to part with them… were they worth more to her than her father? And more importantly… did she trust in her father’s love? With a heavy yet determined heart, she gathered up all of her little glass treasures and, though they meant so much to her, threw them all into the fire.

Seeing his request obeyed, the count rose from his seat and embraced his daughter. He sweetly kissed her cheeks, wet with her silent tears, and then said to her. "Now, my child, you will soon see how your father can reward you for that heroic sacrifice you made to please him."

Turning to an intricately carved dresser which stood nearby, the nobleman slid open a drawer. Reaching inside, Otho lifted a small box out of it. The little girl watched with growing curiosity, eyeing the ornate box in her father's hand. What could be inside? Was it more glass beads? Newer ones, perhaps, to replace the ones she had played with for so long? The lid was lifted, and along with it the child's spirits. She had never seen anything more beautiful! It was not beads at all; it was a magnificent gold necklace, studded with brilliant diamonds and precious stones.

Count Otho was just as pleased as his daughter… more so, perhaps. For when a true father loves his children, his greatest delight is to give them the means of attaining that happiness which will last for all eternity. He spoke once again, sharing with her the moral of it all: a lesson which enabled the Saints themselves to attain Heaven, and one which we should always remember throughout our own lives.

"This, my child, is for you. I wanted to see if you loved me more than yourself. You proved to me that you do - because, rather than displease me, you sacrificed for my sake that which gave you great pleasure. Take this, then, my dearest little one… and when you wear it, it will remind you that your Father in Heaven will reward you with a reward surpassing all understanding, in the world to come, if you obey Him in this life, and sacrifice everything rather than displease Him by breaking His Commandments."