Shepherds Who Preach the Word

Do not show your prickles.
Imagine a chestnut burr.
Those young in faith see only the prickles and will not even touch it,
but the wise first see, inside it,
the fresh chestnut.
If you are a chestnut burr, how long will you hang on the tree?
Only when it is ripe does the burr split open
and show its lovely form—isn’t that so?
Hurry and grow mature.
Let’s spend more time talking together, you and I.
Pray for the shepherds who preach the Word.
That their calling is so weighty,
and that I am watching even the smallest movement of their fingertips,
they must know.
Pray for them from the depths of your spirit.