Our Loving Father In Heaven

 A little girl hops along with her mom, shopping  in the mall.  There she spots a pearl necklace.  "Please can I buy it?," she begs.
     "It costs $1.99," her mom responds, "If you'll do chores around town like cutting flowers, together with your upcoming birthday present of a dollar bill, you'll be able to buy it yourself."
     The little girl agrees, does the chores, and with her money, buys the pearls.  She adores these pearls and wears them everywhere.  She wears them to school and to every occasion, making her feel very grown up.
     One night, during her nightly bedtime routine with her Dad, Dad sits at the edge of her bed and asks, "Do you love me?" 
     "Of course Daddy," she responds. 
     "Then give me your pearl necklace."
     "No Daddy.  Not my pearls.  I'll give you instead my best teddy bear."
     "It's okay," says Dad, "I love you."  And he kisses her good-night.
     This scene repeats itself the next week, and the week after.  One night as Dad enters her bedroom, he sees his little daughter sitting on her bed, feet crossed indian style, with tears streaming down her face.
     "Is everything okay?" Dad asks, concerned.
     Barely able to muster a word, she just stretches out her hand and opens her fist.  Inside was her pearl necklace.
     The father, with a smile, takes the pearls, and with his other hand pulls out from his pocket a blue velvet box.  He quietly watches as his little girl opens it up, revealing an exquisite strand of real, genuine pearls.
    
     The key to the parable:
     The father was really ready to give her the genuine pearls right away, he was just waiting for his child to show that she loved him. So too, Hashem is waiting for us to show him we love him so that he can give us real genuine 'pearls'.