No created thing shall ever attain its paradise unless it
appeareth in its highest prescribed degree of perfection. For instance, this
crystal representeth the paradise of the stone whereof its substance is
composed. Likewise there are various stages in the paradise for the crystal
itself... So long as it was stone it was worthless, but if it attaineth the excellence of ruby—a potentiality which is latent in
it—how much a carat will it be worth? Consider likewise every created thing.
Man’s highest station, however, is attained through faith in
God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of what hath been revealed by Him,
and not through learning; inasmuch as in every nation there are learned men who
are versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through wealth; for it is
similarly evident that among the various classes in every nation there are
those possessed of riches. Likewise are other transitory things. (The Báb, excerpt
from the Persian Bayán, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
