A Christian woman from sixth century Nisibis in Asia Minor persuaded her heathen husband to invest their life savings by handing fifty silver pieces out to the beggars at the church door. After three months, the man went to see if any interest had accrued, and found a single silver piece, with which he bought a fish.

The fish proved to contain a bright stone, which he took it to a jeweller. Assuming the stone was almost worthless, our man rejected each ever-increasing offer as a distasteful joke, until he realised it must really be valuable. At last he accepted three hundred silver pieces; and convinced it had all been a miracle, he became a Christian.

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