Extracting Oil

In the Parable of the ten virgins, it talks about the importance of having enough oil in your lamp. Almost certainly the kind of oil the Savior was referring to was olive oil, but I think it might be helpful to consider the Parable with another kind of oil. Oil extracted from the earth is often called a fossil fuel because it contains within it the remnants of light and power possessed by those who have gone before. Over millions of years, the energy contained within all living things is converted into petroleum. The scriptures contain records of men and women who went forth with faith and trust in the Lord to do great things. While they have passed on, there is still light and power that we can extract from the records they left behind. Just as we pull oil from the earth, we can pull Spiritual oil from the scriptures to add to our lamps and light the way before us. Just as the wise virgins could not give of their oil to the foolish virgins with no cost and no effort, we can not hope to obtain oil from the scriptures without effort on our part. Extracting oil from the Earth requires drilling deep below the surface, and often people will drill down and find no oil. But with persistence and dedication, they can find immense wealth to reward them for their efforts. So too, can we find many rewards as we dig deep in the scriptures to find the oil, the light and power left by our forefathers and foremothers in faith, and in so doing we can let our lamps shine bright and gather up light and power in store for future generations to draw from as they gain hope from reading about our accounts of facing trials with faith.