There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would 
paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king 
looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really 
liked, and he had to choose between them. 

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for 
peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky 
with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it 
was a perfect picture of peace. 

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and 
bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which 
lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming 
waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. 

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a 
tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird 
had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, 
sat the mother bird on her nest in perfect peace. 

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the 
second picture. Do you know why? 

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place 
where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in 
the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That 
is the real meaning of peace."

Author Unknown