BOOK: The Alchemist

"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up the moonless sky.
"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."
"Every second of the search is an encounter with God," the boy told his heart.
"When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I've known that every hour was a part of the dream that i would find it. When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I've discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had i not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve." p. 130

"Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor's being severely tested." The boy remembered an old proverb from his country. It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn. p. 132

The Alchemist is filled with more wonderful prose like the ones above that are full of wisdom and simple truths. It's an inspiring tale of a Spanish shepherd who embarks on a journey to find his treasure. But along the way he meets all sort of people who either help him or hinder him. And he learns some very, very important lessons of life through all the trials he endures. Coelho's book is about hope, optimism, and perseverance. These are universal themes that touch every human being on this planet. Everyone can read this book in his or her own way and be inspired to pursue his/her purpose in life. I read it from a Christian point of view and read it with God in mind and the journey that he has set me on. And I couldn't have read this book at a more timely period of my life. It helped me understand why God has me on this particular journey and motivated me to keep pressing on for the prize (like Apostle Paul) despite the obstacles and enormous challenges.

This is a short, sweet book that is written in a simple style. Once you begin you will not be able to put it down. And it also has a pretty cool love story. Did that pique your interest? I hope so! Read it. You'll love it. We all need a little inspiration.

::5 stars::