A child sat before the magnetic board,
pieces small,
yet heavy with meaning.

The father did not yield
easy victories,
for false triumph
breeds hollow pride.

Instead,
he pressed the child to wrestle,
to learn through loss,
to hunger for skill.

At last,
the day came:
the student bested the master.

The child felt
the lantern of accomplishment,
and the father
lit the lantern of humility,
saying,
“The student has beat the master.”

Thus was revealed
the covenant of contest:
that true victory
is not domination,
but the sharpening
of both through struggle.

For as iron sharpens iron,
so does one sharpen another,
and humility
becomes the crown of strength.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. — Proverbs 27:17