One day, a young man went to Dr. Conwell and told him he wanted a college education but couldn't afford it. Dr. Conwell decided, at that moment, what his aim in life was, besides being a man of the cloth. He decided to build a university for unfortunate, but deserving, students. He did have a challenge, however. He would need a few million dollars to build the university. For Dr. Conwell, and anyone with real purpose in life, nothing could stand in the way of his goal.
Several years before this incident, Dr. Conwell was attracted by a true story with its ageless moral. The story was about a farmer who lived in Africa and through a visitor became excited about looking for diamonds. Diamonds were already discovered in abundance on the African continent and this farmer got so excited about the idea of millions of dollars' worth of diamonds that he sold his farm to head for the diamond line. He wandered all over the continent, constantly searching for diamonds, wealth, which he never found. Eventually he went completely broke and threw himself into a river and died.
Meanwhile, the new owner of his farm picked up an unusual-looking rock about the size of an egg and put it on his mantle（斗篷） as a sort of curiosity. A visitor stopped by. He told the new owner that the funny-looking rock was about the biggest diamond that had ever been found. The new owner shouted, "God, the whole farm is covered with them."
The farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond Mine, the richest the world has ever known. The original farmer was literally standing on "Acres of Diamonds" until he sold his farm.
Dr. Conwell learned from the story of the farmer and continued to teach it moral. Opportunity does not just come along; it is there all the time-we just have to see it. Dr. Conwell told the story over and over again on many occasions for raising money to start the college for poor students. In fact, he raised nearly six million dollars and the university he founded, Temple University in Philadelphia, has at least ten degree-granting colleges and six other schools.
