Once upon a time, on the summit of a mountain, there were three little tree friends who dreamed big about what the future would hold for them. 

    The first little tree looked up at the stars and said, "I want to hold treasures. I want to be filled with gold and precious stones. I will be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world.

   The second little tree looked at a small stream on its way to the sea and said, "I want to travel across immense seas and carry powerful kings on me. I will be the most important ship in the world."

    The third little tree looked down at the valley and saw men weighed down by so many misfortunes, the result of their sins, and said, "I never want to leave the mountain top. I want to grow so tall that when people in the village stop to look at me, they will lift their gaze to the heavens and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world."

    Years passed, and the little trees grew into mighty cedars. One day, three lumberjacks came to the mountain.

    The first lumberjack admired the first tree and cut it down, saying, "What a beautiful tree!" The tree thought it would become a beautiful treasure chest.

    The second lumberjack said, "This tree is very strong; it's perfect for me!" He cut down the second tree, which dreamed of sailing the seas as a great ship.

    The third tree's heart sank as the last lumberjack approached. The lumberjack didn't even look up, just said, "Any tree will do for what I need!" and cut it down.

    The first tree was excited when taken to the workshop, but the carpenter only made it into a feeding trough for animals—not the golden treasure chest it had dreamed of being.

    The second tree smiled when carried to the landing, but instead of becoming a great ship for kings, it became a simple fishing boat on a lake, used only by poor fishermen.

    The third tree was cut into planks and forgotten for years in a dark warehouse, its dreams seeming impossibly far away.