In the deserts of the
South Australian outback,
00:00:25.42\00:00:28.26
in one of
Australia's harshest regions
00:00:28.29\00:00:30.59
and hottest climates,
is the town of Coober Pedy.
00:00:30.63\00:00:34.33
It's one of
Australia's most unusual places.
00:00:34.36\00:00:37.37
In fact, it's called
the world's strangest town.
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In summer, the temperature
can reach 50 degrees Celsius,
00:00:42.50\00:00:46.81
and the residents have
come up with a novel way
00:00:46.84\00:00:49.64
to keep cool and
avoid the burning heat.
00:00:49.68\00:00:52.41
They've gone underground.
00:00:52.45\00:00:54.58
Much of the town has been built
00:00:54.62\00:00:57.29
beneath the
blistering hot surface.
00:00:57.32\00:00:59.75
Houses, cafes, shops,
00:00:59.79\00:01:02.12
hotels and churches
are all underground.
00:01:02.16\00:01:06.66
Coober Pedy is also known
00:01:06.70\00:01:09.00
as the opal
capital of the world.
00:01:09.03\00:01:12.10
Most of the world's opal comes
from this tiny outback town.
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Today, we're going underground
in this opal mining town,
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in search of
treasure, buried treasure.
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And maybe, just maybe, together,
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we'll discover real
treasure, the treasure of life.
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Coober Pedy is called
the opal mining capital
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of the world and is located
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in the harsh
outback of South Australia.
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The town is 845
kilometers north of Adelaide
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and 685 kilometers
south of Alice Springs
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along the Stewart highway.
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You know, you are
nearing Coober Pedy
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when you see shafts,
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opal mining trucks and
thousands of mullock heaps
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from mining
activities that make the desert
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look like a lunar landscape.
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Also, as you enter the town,
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perched on top of the town sign
is the symbol for this town,
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an old opal mining truck.
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About 95% of the
world's precious opals
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come from
Australia, and 85% of them
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are found right here
in the 70 opal fields
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in the region of Coober Pedy.
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But it's not
only famous for opals,
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but also for its
unique accommodation,
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and legendary stories
of courage and endurance.
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The climate here is harsh.
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Coober Pedy has a
hot desert climate,
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with temperatures
often climbing towards
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50 degrees Celsius
in the summer months.
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The town is
surrounded by a flat,
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stony treeless desert,
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with low
rainfall and low humidity.
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Residents have found a
novel way to keep cool.
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About 50% of the 2,500 residents
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prefer to live
underground or in caves
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dug into the hillside
that are called dugouts.
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But these aren't just
ordinary caves or caverns.
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Many of them are well furnished,
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and they have all
the creature comforts
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that make life
pleasant and cozy.
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Here in Coober
Pedy, you can even stay
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in an underground motel
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that provides
luxury accommodation.
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And if you're lucky,
you'll find a vein of rich opal
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in the walls of your room.
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There's even an
underground camping site.
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There are also underground
churches, shops, cafes,
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businesses and,
of course, the mines.
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It is believed that
some of the soldiers
00:04:01.17\00:04:03.81
who returned from
the trenches of France
00:04:03.84\00:04:06.07
after the First World War
00:04:06.11\00:04:08.04
came to Coober Pedy
in search of treasure.
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They began the idea of
living in the underground homes
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to escape the harsh summer heat
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because the climate underground
has an even temperature
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of 19 to 25
degrees Celsius all year.
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The dugout homes
are very popular.
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A standard three-bedroom
cave home has a lounge,
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kitchen and bathroom
excavated out of the rock.
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Apparently, the cost to
build an underground home
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is the similar
price to building a house
00:04:39.84\00:04:41.78
on the surface.
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And, of course, you
save on your power bills
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because you don't
need air conditioning
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in summer or winter.
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One of the 10 most unusual
golf courses in the world
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is found here in Coober Pedy.
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It's an 18-hole,
72-par grassless golf course.
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The course
traverses the desert flats
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and gibber hills of Coober Pedy.
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The greens are black
and the fairways are white.
00:05:05.70\00:05:08.94
You can even see the
usual golf course sign,
00:05:08.97\00:05:12.31
keep off the grass, even
though there isn't a blade
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of grass anywhere in sight.
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This land has long been the home
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of the Aboriginal people
00:05:20.58\00:05:22.48
who were hunters and gatherers
and lived a nomadic lifestyle
00:05:22.52\00:05:26.15
in this desert landscape.
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In 1975, they
adopted the name Umoona,
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meaning long life.
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The first European
explorer in the area
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was John Stewart in 1858.
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And the township was
first named after him.
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But in 1920, it was
renamed Coober Pedy,
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which comes from the
Aboriginal words kupa-piti,
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which are commonly thought
to mean white man in a hole.
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The reason the
white men were in holes
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is really the
story of Coober Pedy.
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Just over 100 years ago,
00:06:03.56\00:06:05.69
a small group of men named
00:06:05.73\00:06:07.90
the new Colorado
prospecting syndicate,
00:06:07.93\00:06:10.93
were unsuccessfully
searching for gold,
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just south of Coober Pedy.
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On the 1st of February 1915,
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the group camped in a
dry riverbed near this area,
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and went looking for water.
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While the adults
went in search of water,
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the young
15-year-old William Hutchinson,
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son of the leader of the
men picked up some surface
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opals lying on the ground.
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Instead of gold, they had found
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the rare colored gemstone opals.
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Eight days later,
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the first opal claim was picked.
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But due to lack of water,
and the extreme summer heat,
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the group left Coober
Pedy for William Creek.
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The name Opal
comes from the Latin
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and Greek word Opalis,
meaning to see a color change.
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It's also known
as fire of the desert
00:07:01.72\00:07:04.75
by the local indigenous people.
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They believe the colors
of the opal were created
00:07:07.06\00:07:10.19
when a rainbow
touched the earth.
00:07:10.23\00:07:13.36
Opals are one of the
most beautiful gemstones
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in the world.
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They have an amazing
display of fiery colors
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with mesmerizing patterns,
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and are
considered a symbol of hope
00:07:23.57\00:07:25.74
and good fortune.
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When news of the
opal discovery broke,
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thee O'Neill brothers and
Fred Blakely from Tarcoola
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arrived in Coober Pedy
and became the pioneers
00:07:34.18\00:07:37.39
of opal mining here.
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Due to the inhospitable
conditions of the desert,
00:07:39.62\00:07:42.82
they soon moved underground.
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The opal boom began in 1917
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when the
transcontinental railway
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from Port Augusta to
Kalgoorlie was completed.
00:07:50.90\00:07:54.94
Then just after
the end of World War I,
00:07:54.97\00:07:57.74
thousands of
soldiers returned to Australia
00:07:57.77\00:08:00.74
and were looking for work.
00:08:00.78\00:08:02.58
They flooded to the opal fields,
00:08:02.61\00:08:04.95
hoping to make
their fortune quickly.
00:08:04.98\00:08:07.78
During the Great
Depression of the late 1930s,
00:08:07.82\00:08:11.19
opal prices plummeted.
00:08:11.22\00:08:13.46
Mining and production
almost came to a standstill.
00:08:13.49\00:08:17.06
Until Toddy
Bryant, an Aboriginal woman
00:08:17.09\00:08:20.43
found opal within 20
centimeters of the surface
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at the Eight Mile field in 1946.
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This caused a great sensation,
00:08:27.27\00:08:29.90
and was a turning point
00:08:29.94\00:08:31.64
in the history
of opal mining here.
00:08:31.67\00:08:34.28
And then in 1956,
one of the most valuable
00:08:34.31\00:08:38.08
and famous
opals ever discovered,
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named the Olympic
Australis was found
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at the Coober Pedy
Eight Mile opal field.
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This stone weighs
approximately 3.4 kilos
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and is exquisitely beautiful.
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The discovery rekindled
an interest in opal mining.
00:08:52.93\00:08:57.53
But conditions
were extremely harsh
00:08:57.57\00:09:00.20
in the early opal fields.
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Water and
provisions had to be brought
00:09:02.50\00:09:05.11
in over great distances
00:09:05.14\00:09:07.08
and under very
difficult conditions.
00:09:07.11\00:09:09.58
Water was especially scarce
and it was strictly rationed.
00:09:09.61\00:09:14.45
But despite these hardships,
00:09:14.48\00:09:16.48
by the 1960s opal
mining had developed
00:09:16.52\00:09:19.79
into a multimillion
dollar industry and Coober Pedy
00:09:19.82\00:09:24.69
became a modern
opal mining center.
00:09:24.73\00:09:28.50
The opals here are
mined in an area called
00:09:28.53\00:09:31.97
the Coober Pedy
precious stones field,
00:09:32.00\00:09:34.70
which covers an area of
almost 5,000 square kilometers.
00:09:34.74\00:09:40.21
Now, the simplest
form of opal mining used
00:09:40.24\00:09:43.35
is to sink a shaft
with a pick and shovel.
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A shaft is a
vertical tunnel dug about
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10 meters below the surface.
00:09:49.42\00:09:51.65
Once in the clay,
they carefully dig a tunnel
00:09:51.69\00:09:55.02
along that level as they
search for the colored stones.
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Each miner then carefully sifts
00:09:59.36\00:10:02.06
through the clay
centimeter by centimeter
00:10:02.10\00:10:04.90
until he finds a patch
of dirt that has the promise
00:10:04.93\00:10:08.20
of that glimmer of fiery stone.
00:10:08.24\00:10:11.07
Some of the miners call
it a rainbow in the dirt.
00:10:11.11\00:10:15.38
Then they
delicately use a screwdriver
00:10:15.41\00:10:17.55
or sharp implement to
extract the fragile opal.
00:10:17.58\00:10:21.92
Since the 1970s
there's been a rapid increase
00:10:21.95\00:10:25.79
in the use of mining machines.
00:10:25.82\00:10:28.12
Most shafts are now dug
by a cold weld type drill
00:10:28.16\00:10:32.33
to excavate a one
meter in diameter hole
00:10:32.36\00:10:35.33
using an auger bucket.
00:10:35.36\00:10:37.27
These drills can dig to
a depth of 28 to 30 meters.
00:10:37.30\00:10:42.57
Today, most opal fields
look like a moon landscape
00:10:42.60\00:10:47.34
and are pitted with abandoned
cold weld shafts and mallets
00:10:47.38\00:10:51.05
or mounds of waste material.
00:10:51.08\00:10:53.42
These abandoned
prospecting drill holes
00:10:53.45\00:10:56.48
are up to 30 meters deep.
00:10:56.52\00:10:58.79
It's estimated
that there are over
00:10:58.82\00:11:01.39
one and a half million
open shafts in the area.
00:11:01.42\00:11:05.29
Many signs warn
visitors of this danger.
00:11:05.33\00:11:09.20
The tunneling machines
with revolving cutting heads
00:11:09.23\00:11:12.33
are called boggers.
00:11:12.37\00:11:14.24
Once they've cut the tunnel,
00:11:14.27\00:11:16.10
smaller bulldozers
remove the exposed dirt,
00:11:16.14\00:11:19.54
but not before
spotters check the site
00:11:19.57\00:11:22.38
for the fiery gemstone.
00:11:22.41\00:11:24.78
All land waste was originally
transported to the surface
00:11:24.81\00:11:29.05
by a hand windlass.
00:11:29.08\00:11:31.02
Now a power winch or
automatic bucket tipper
00:11:31.05\00:11:34.56
does the job.
00:11:34.59\00:11:36.26
The process of searching through
00:11:36.29\00:11:38.03
the heaps of discarded mullock
for pieces of opal missed
00:11:38.06\00:11:41.66
by the miners
is called noodling.
00:11:41.70\00:11:45.10
And you can often see tourists
trying to find their fortune
00:11:45.13\00:11:48.50
in these mullock heaps.
00:11:48.54\00:11:50.71
But finding opal is
only 20% of the work.
00:11:50.74\00:11:55.28
Eighty five
percent of all opals found
00:11:55.31\00:11:57.81
are called poch, or an
opal without fiery colors,
00:11:57.85\00:12:02.28
which has very little worth.
00:12:02.32\00:12:04.22
Only 10% of opals
have the vivid fiery colors
00:12:04.25\00:12:08.82
that are so valuable.
00:12:08.86\00:12:11.13
The process of
getting the stone cut,
00:12:11.16\00:12:13.46
polished and designed is lengthy
00:12:13.50\00:12:16.53
and requires a
high level of skill.
00:12:16.56\00:12:19.43
The trickiest
process is shaping the opal
00:12:19.47\00:12:22.60
to display the best color.
00:12:22.64\00:12:24.77
The most sought-after
color is the bright red.
00:12:24.81\00:12:28.28
It's like a fire in the desert.
00:12:28.31\00:12:31.31
Opals are classed according
to their quality, brilliance,
00:12:31.35\00:12:34.88
clarity, variety and pattern.
00:12:34.92\00:12:38.05
And there are three main factors
00:12:38.09\00:12:39.69
in determining their value,
00:12:39.72\00:12:41.79
base color,
brilliance and patterns.
00:12:41.82\00:12:45.49
The highest priced
opals have a black base,
00:12:45.53\00:12:49.03
have red fire colors,
00:12:49.06\00:12:50.83
and the Harlequin color pattern.
00:12:50.87\00:12:53.03
The most expensive
opal was found here
00:12:53.07\00:12:56.00
at Eight Mile in Coober Pedy.
00:12:56.04\00:12:58.51
It is said to glow in the dark
00:12:58.54\00:13:00.88
and is worth well
over a million dollars.
00:13:00.91\00:13:04.48
The brilliant colors of
opals are considered so unique
00:13:04.51\00:13:07.92
and valuable that in 1993
00:13:07.95\00:13:11.05
the opal was named
Australia's national gemstone
00:13:11.09\00:13:15.29
and there are legendary
stories of courage and endurance
00:13:15.32\00:13:18.69
associated with
searching for them.
00:13:18.73\00:13:21.90
But opals aren't the only thing
of interest in the outback.
00:13:21.93\00:13:25.33
Just 15 kilometers
northeast of Coober Pedy,
00:13:25.37\00:13:29.00
you can see part
of the 5,300 kilometer
00:13:29.04\00:13:32.17
Dingo Fence.
00:13:32.21\00:13:33.91
It's the world's
longest continuous construction
00:13:33.94\00:13:37.51
and stretches
from Surfers Paradise
00:13:37.55\00:13:39.85
in Queensland to
the cliffs at Ceduna
00:13:39.88\00:13:43.02
in the Great Australian
Bight along the Nullarbor Plain.
00:13:43.05\00:13:47.12
The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence
is the pest-exclusion fence
00:13:47.16\00:13:51.89
that was built in
Australia during the 1880s.
00:13:51.93\00:13:55.40
Its purpose is to keep dingoes
out of the relatively fertile
00:13:55.43\00:13:59.70
southeast part of the continent
00:13:59.73\00:14:01.80
and protect the sheep
flocks of Southern Queensland.
00:14:01.84\00:14:05.47
Now just 33
kilometers north of Coober Pedy,
00:14:05.51\00:14:09.21
there is a conservation
park called the Breakaways.
00:14:09.24\00:14:13.08
This striking rock
landscape of flat-topped mesas
00:14:13.11\00:14:16.75
is home to a wonderful array
of Australian fauna and flora.
00:14:16.79\00:14:21.32
There are
kangaroos, wallabies, emus,
00:14:21.36\00:14:24.93
a variety of reptiles,
including lizards and snakes,
00:14:24.96\00:14:28.66
as well as numerous
varieties of desert birds,
00:14:28.70\00:14:31.80
such as eagles,
parrots and finches.
00:14:31.83\00:14:34.74
Back in February, 1920, a
rugged looking muscular man
00:14:37.71\00:14:42.38
over 1.8 meters in height
and weighing 102 kilograms,
00:14:42.41\00:14:46.65
stepped off the
train at Tarcoola.
00:14:46.68\00:14:49.42
Iron man Jim Shaw had
traveled all the way by train
00:14:49.45\00:14:53.39
from Western Australia.
00:14:53.42\00:14:55.09
And he asked the man,
00:14:55.12\00:14:56.46
how he could get
from there to Coober Pedy
00:14:56.49\00:14:59.29
and the opal mines.
00:14:59.33\00:15:01.60
He was told that
the only way was to wait
00:15:01.63\00:15:04.43
for the station
truck and pay for a ride
00:15:04.47\00:15:06.97
to the opal field.
00:15:07.00\00:15:08.64
But the truck had left yesterday
00:15:08.67\00:15:10.77
and wouldn't be
back for a while.
00:15:10.81\00:15:12.77
So he just have to wait around
Tarcoola until it returned.
00:15:12.81\00:15:17.88
Well, that didn't suit Jim.
00:15:17.91\00:15:20.42
He couldn't wait to find
his share of buried treasure
00:15:20.45\00:15:23.55
in the opal fields.
00:15:23.59\00:15:25.22
So he decided to
push his wheelbarrow
00:15:25.25\00:15:28.12
the 241
kilometers across the desert,
00:15:28.16\00:15:32.26
all the way to Coober Pedy.
00:15:32.29\00:15:34.80
Pushing a wheelbarrow
was apparently a common form
00:15:34.83\00:15:38.17
of transport for
miners back then.
00:15:38.20\00:15:40.74
They would put
all their possessions
00:15:40.77\00:15:42.20
and mining tools
in their wheelbarrow
00:15:42.24\00:15:44.51
and off they would go.
00:15:44.54\00:15:46.31
And there were a
lot of stories of them
00:15:46.34\00:15:48.41
dying next to
their wheelbarrows too.
00:15:48.44\00:15:51.31
Jim's wheelbarrow was
no ordinary wheelbarrow.
00:15:51.35\00:15:54.98
He riveted the
12-gauge iron tire
00:15:55.02\00:15:57.39
for sand country.
00:15:57.42\00:15:58.99
And he lubricated the
bearing with graphite.
00:15:59.02\00:16:02.12
Into the wheelbarrow,
00:16:02.16\00:16:03.86
he piled a
prospector's outfit of pick,
00:16:03.89\00:16:07.13
shovel, two rock drills,
a hammer, a blanket roll,
00:16:07.16\00:16:11.47
some spare clothing,
and a small Calico tent.
00:16:11.50\00:16:16.04
He also had a
billycan, frying pan, food,
00:16:16.07\00:16:19.87
a water bag for immediate use,
and a galantine as a reserve.
00:16:19.91\00:16:24.45
He was carrying
around five liters of water.
00:16:24.48\00:16:27.28
One onlooker said that it looked
00:16:27.32\00:16:29.68
as if he was putting
a horse out of a job.
00:16:29.72\00:16:32.99
Jim would have to
push his wheelbarrow
00:16:33.02\00:16:35.26
across endless sand
hills in desert in temperatures
00:16:35.29\00:16:38.69
over 30 degrees
Celsius during the day
00:16:38.73\00:16:41.76
and approaching
freezing at night.
00:16:41.80\00:16:44.33
The Tarcoola locals
tried to talk him out of it,
00:16:44.37\00:16:47.64
but Jim was adamant.
00:16:47.67\00:16:50.81
When he came to
his first sand hill,
00:16:50.84\00:16:53.24
he discovered
that it was impossible
00:16:53.27\00:16:55.74
to push his loaded
wheelbarrow up the sand hill.
00:16:55.78\00:16:58.95
So he unloaded everything
and carried all his equipment
00:16:58.98\00:17:02.98
and food up the hill
in a number of trips.
00:17:03.02\00:17:06.76
Then he pulled
the empty wheelbarrow
00:17:06.79\00:17:09.19
up to the top and reloaded
it for the downhill trip.
00:17:09.22\00:17:13.60
Eventually, after
countless sand hills
00:17:13.63\00:17:16.70
and completely exhausted,
00:17:16.73\00:17:18.90
he arrived at
Bulgannia Station Homestead.
00:17:18.93\00:17:21.90
The manager of the station
couldn't believe his eyes
00:17:21.94\00:17:25.97
and quickly gave Jim some water
with which to drench himself.
00:17:26.01\00:17:31.01
Refreshed from his
overnight stay at the homestead,
00:17:31.05\00:17:34.12
he headed off the next day.
00:17:34.15\00:17:36.35
The track was now a bit better,
00:17:36.38\00:17:38.29
and the weather was cooler.
00:17:38.32\00:17:39.92
But the flies
were worse than ever.
00:17:39.95\00:17:43.76
Eventually, Jim
reached Ingomar Station,
00:17:43.79\00:17:47.33
where the manager
tried to convince him
00:17:47.36\00:17:49.33
not to continue,
00:17:49.36\00:17:51.03
as he still had more
than 80 kilometers to go
00:17:51.07\00:17:54.14
and it was madness
for him to continue
00:17:54.17\00:17:56.20
in the middle of summer.
00:17:56.24\00:17:57.87
There were also long
stretches with no water.
00:17:57.91\00:18:01.04
But Jim would not be deterred.
00:18:01.08\00:18:03.95
Jim thanked the manager,
00:18:03.98\00:18:06.18
but told him that he
would continue on his journey.
00:18:06.21\00:18:09.62
But Jim asked if he
could stay a few days
00:18:09.65\00:18:12.49
and have some
leather to resole his shoes
00:18:12.52\00:18:15.12
as they were just about worn out
00:18:15.16\00:18:17.49
from the sand and stones.
00:18:17.53\00:18:19.79
Jim set off from
Ingomar in the afternoon,
00:18:19.83\00:18:23.03
and walked again
until late at night.
00:18:23.06\00:18:25.90
He was even beginning
to doubt that finding opals
00:18:25.93\00:18:29.70
was worth what he was
putting himself through.
00:18:29.74\00:18:33.61
He was dismayed to see
that the wheel of his barrow
00:18:33.64\00:18:37.41
was buckling due
to the heavy load
00:18:37.45\00:18:39.65
and the very rough conditions.
00:18:39.68\00:18:41.78
His feet were also
very sore from walking.
00:18:41.82\00:18:44.95
He was still 48
kilometers from Coober Pedy.
00:18:44.99\00:18:48.72
But Jim just kept on going.
00:18:48.76\00:18:52.39
Despite the flies,
heat, stones and sand,
00:18:52.43\00:18:56.70
he finally made
it to Coober Pedy
00:18:56.73\00:18:58.77
in the opal fields with
his wheelbarrow and equipment.
00:18:58.80\00:19:03.20
Many of the miners had
heard of Jim's amazing journey
00:19:03.24\00:19:07.28
and were waiting for him
to celebrate his arrival.
00:19:07.31\00:19:10.41
And that's how Jim
Shaw came to be known
00:19:10.45\00:19:13.68
as Iron Man Jim Shaw,
00:19:13.72\00:19:16.32
a true legend of the outback,
00:19:16.35\00:19:18.62
the man who pushed his
wheelbarrow 241 kilometers
00:19:18.65\00:19:22.62
across the desert to
search for buried treasure.
00:19:22.66\00:19:27.90
What happened to Jim after that?
00:19:27.93\00:19:30.40
Well, he settled in Coober Pedy
and worked several opal plains,
00:19:30.43\00:19:35.10
but for all his hard
efforts to get there, sadly,
00:19:35.14\00:19:39.07
he never found much.
00:19:39.11\00:19:41.04
It's an epic story of a
man who risked everything
00:19:41.08\00:19:44.68
to find buried
treasure in the opal fields.
00:19:44.71\00:19:49.62
However, there is a
sure way to obtain treasure,
00:19:49.65\00:19:53.05
real treasure,
the treasure of life.
00:19:53.09\00:19:56.59
Jesus told an epic story
about buried treasure also.
00:19:56.62\00:20:00.60
Here it is in Matthew 13:44.
00:20:00.63\00:20:05.53
"The kingdom of heaven is
like treasure hidden in a field.
00:20:05.57\00:20:09.84
When a man found
it, he hid it again,
00:20:09.87\00:20:12.84
and then in his joy
went and sold all he had
00:20:12.87\00:20:16.24
and bought that field."
00:20:16.28\00:20:18.51
People didn't have banks in
the same way as we do today.
00:20:18.55\00:20:22.28
And they didn't use
safes to protect their money.
00:20:22.32\00:20:24.95
Instead, they would
choose a spot under their house,
00:20:24.99\00:20:28.62
or often just an
unlikely spot in an open field.
00:20:28.66\00:20:32.59
They would dig a hole
and bury their money there.
00:20:32.63\00:20:36.67
And what would often happen
is that the owner would die,
00:20:36.70\00:20:40.40
and no one would know
where he buried the money.
00:20:40.44\00:20:43.51
Everyone used to do
this, including the rich.
00:20:43.54\00:20:47.01
That's why it's quite
common even today for people
00:20:47.04\00:20:50.28
to find buried
treasure cases in random places
00:20:50.31\00:20:54.38
across the lands of the Bible.
00:20:54.42\00:20:56.89
And back then, it was
basically finders keepers.
00:20:56.92\00:21:00.86
If you found
treasure, it's yours,
00:21:00.89\00:21:03.22
especially if you own the land.
00:21:03.26\00:21:05.69
Now, let's use our imagination
a little as we think about
00:21:05.73\00:21:09.76
this story that Jesus told.
00:21:09.80\00:21:12.13
Here is a man who
perhaps is just plowing a field
00:21:12.17\00:21:16.07
when his plow jams
against something solid.
00:21:16.10\00:21:19.57
When the man digs
down, he finds a box.
00:21:19.61\00:21:23.04
And immediately he's excited,
00:21:23.08\00:21:25.95
because he knows
that it's buried treasure.
00:21:25.98\00:21:28.78
And when he opens the box,
00:21:28.82\00:21:30.72
he finds that it's
a hoard of treasure
00:21:30.75\00:21:33.09
beyond his wildest dreams.
00:21:33.12\00:21:36.19
Immediately, he buries
it again to keep it safe,
00:21:36.22\00:21:40.06
because he knows
what he has to do.
00:21:40.10\00:21:43.23
The man goes to
the owner of the field
00:21:43.26\00:21:45.47
and says to him, "I
want to buy your field.
00:21:45.50\00:21:48.87
What will you
sell it to me for?"
00:21:48.90\00:21:51.44
"It's not for sale," he's told.
00:21:51.47\00:21:55.08
"Everything's got a price.
00:21:55.11\00:21:57.15
I'll give you
whatever you want for it.
00:21:57.18\00:21:59.15
Name your price."
00:21:59.18\00:22:01.18
The owner gives him a price.
00:22:01.22\00:22:03.39
"That's
ridiculous," the man says.
00:22:03.42\00:22:06.49
"That's my
price," the owner replies.
00:22:06.52\00:22:10.59
Even though the
price is exorbitant,
00:22:10.63\00:22:13.56
the man decides
that he will do whatever
00:22:13.60\00:22:15.86
it takes, because
he must have the land.
00:22:15.90\00:22:20.07
He starts off by
selling his own house and land,
00:22:20.10\00:22:24.01
but it's still not enough.
00:22:24.04\00:22:26.04
He then sells off his
donkey and his work tools,
00:22:26.07\00:22:29.24
but it still isn't enough.
00:22:29.28\00:22:31.61
Finally, he sells all
his household contents.
00:22:31.65\00:22:35.28
His family and his
neighbors think he's mad.
00:22:35.32\00:22:38.69
But he doesn't
care because he knows
00:22:38.72\00:22:41.42
what he's doing.
00:22:41.46\00:22:42.92
He counts his money,
00:22:42.96\00:22:44.63
and he has just
enough to buy the field.
00:22:44.66\00:22:48.70
And so he hurries
back to the owner,
00:22:48.73\00:22:51.33
pays him the money
and buys the field.
00:22:51.37\00:22:54.37
And instead of
suffering from buyer's remorse,
00:22:54.40\00:22:57.87
he's over the moon with joy.
00:22:57.91\00:23:00.41
He can't believe
his good fortune.
00:23:00.44\00:23:03.81
Everyone
thought he had gone mad.
00:23:03.85\00:23:06.18
After all, he had
sold his own seemingly
00:23:06.21\00:23:09.15
good property, and
everything else he owned,
00:23:09.18\00:23:12.15
even the clothes off
his back to buy this field.
00:23:12.19\00:23:15.86
He had paid a
price that was far higher
00:23:15.89\00:23:18.69
than anyone else could
ever thought it was worth.
00:23:18.73\00:23:22.60
But he did it because he knew
what was buried in that field.
00:23:22.63\00:23:27.00
It was a treasure that was far,
00:23:27.04\00:23:28.87
far more valuable than
the one Iron Man Jim Shaw
00:23:28.90\00:23:32.61
was looking for in Coober Pedy.
00:23:32.64\00:23:35.48
You see the treasure buried
in the field in Jesus story
00:23:35.51\00:23:39.58
represents the treasure
of salvation, eternal life,
00:23:39.61\00:23:43.99
a treasure that is worth
far more than anything else
00:23:44.02\00:23:47.49
we could ever
look for on this earth.
00:23:47.52\00:23:49.66
Notice what Jesus
said in Matthew 16:26.
00:23:49.69\00:23:55.23
"For what profit
is that to a man,
00:23:55.26\00:23:57.87
if he gains the whole
world, and loses his own soul."
00:23:57.90\00:24:03.27
Here, Jesus is talking
about the real treasure of life,
00:24:03.30\00:24:07.98
the treasure that is
really worth everything,
00:24:08.01\00:24:10.71
which is life itself.
00:24:10.75\00:24:12.88
What He's saying is that
people go to enormous lengths
00:24:12.91\00:24:16.18
to gain the world, but
miss the real treasure.
00:24:16.22\00:24:20.02
Why do they miss it?
00:24:20.06\00:24:21.72
Well, first of all,
because it's buried in a field.
00:24:21.76\00:24:25.66
You have to dig a bit
deeper than the shallow stuff
00:24:25.69\00:24:28.56
with which our society
surrounds us every day.
00:24:28.60\00:24:32.50
But the other
reason why so many people
00:24:32.53\00:24:34.64
miss the real treasure
of life is that like Jim,
00:24:34.67\00:24:38.61
they think that they'll
find it by pushing wheelbarrows.
00:24:38.64\00:24:41.94
In other words, by
working hard for it,
00:24:41.98\00:24:45.01
so people can work
hard all their lives,
00:24:45.05\00:24:48.32
but never become truly rich.
00:24:48.35\00:24:51.02
They can live amazing
lives and be good people,
00:24:51.05\00:24:54.39
but never find
the greatest treasure
00:24:54.42\00:24:56.32
of all, eternal life.
00:24:56.36\00:24:59.13
The reason is
that you don't find it
00:24:59.16\00:25:01.83
by pushing wheelbarrows.
00:25:01.86\00:25:04.07
You find it by simply accepting
it as a gift from Jesus Christ.
00:25:04.10\00:25:08.84
How do you accept the free gift?
00:25:08.87\00:25:11.17
By admitting
that you're a sinner,
00:25:11.21\00:25:13.14
and that you need Jesus
and asking Him to forgive you
00:25:13.17\00:25:16.75
and to come into your life,
then you'll have eternal life.
00:25:16.78\00:25:21.75
Really, when you
consider the incredible efforts
00:25:21.78\00:25:24.89
by people like Iron
Man Jim Shaw to find
00:25:24.92\00:25:28.29
some shiny stones in the ground,
00:25:28.32\00:25:30.56
you have to ask yourself,
00:25:30.59\00:25:32.59
if you're satisfied with
the way your life is now,
00:25:32.63\00:25:35.76
and what you'd be willing
to do to have something better.
00:25:35.80\00:25:40.40
And when you realize
what Jesus is offering you,
00:25:40.44\00:25:43.47
there's no sacrifice
that would be too much
00:25:43.51\00:25:46.41
for the gift of eternal life,
00:25:46.44\00:25:48.34
a forever life of
happiness and peace.
00:25:48.38\00:25:51.91
Except what's most
amazing about God's offer to you
00:25:51.95\00:25:55.95
is that He isn't
asking you to pay any money
00:25:55.98\00:25:59.09
or to push wheelbarrows.
00:25:59.12\00:26:01.12
He's offering you
salvation as a gift.
00:26:01.16\00:26:05.16
So if you're sick of
pushing wheelbarrows in life,
00:26:05.19\00:26:08.93
and you'd like to say to Jesus,
00:26:08.96\00:26:10.97
that you accept His free gift
00:26:11.00\00:26:12.57
of the greatest treasure of all,
00:26:12.60\00:26:14.90
then I'd like to
recommend the free gift
00:26:14.94\00:26:17.14
we have for all our incredible
journey viewers today.
00:26:17.17\00:26:21.88
It's the easy to read booklet,
00:26:21.91\00:26:23.95
"Finding Treasure:
A Beginner's Guide."
00:26:23.98\00:26:27.12
This small book will
share with you the way
00:26:27.15\00:26:29.72
to find the most
important treasure in life.
00:26:29.75\00:26:32.75
It's our gift to you
and is absolutely free.
00:26:32.79\00:26:35.99
I guarantee that
there are no costs
00:26:36.02\00:26:37.89
or obligations whatsoever.
00:26:37.93\00:26:40.46
So don't miss this
wonderful opportunity
00:26:40.50\00:26:43.53
to receive the free
gift we have for you today.
00:26:43.57\00:26:48.54
Phone or text us at
0436 333 555 in Australia,
00:26:48.57\00:26:54.58
or 020 422 2042 in New Zealand,
00:26:54.61\00:26:59.51
or visit our website TiJ.tv
to request today's free offer
00:26:59.55\00:27:05.22
and we'll send it to
you totally free of charge
00:27:05.25\00:27:08.02
and with no obligation.
00:27:08.06\00:27:09.86
Write to us at GPO Box 274,
Sydney, New South Wales 2001,
00:27:09.89\00:27:15.66
Australia or PO Box 76673,
00:27:15.70\00:27:20.27
Manukau, Auckland
2241, New Zealand.
00:27:20.30\00:27:23.71
Don't delay,
call or text us now.
00:27:23.74\00:27:28.11
If you've enjoyed our
journey to Coober Pedy
00:27:28.14\00:27:30.95
to see the opals,
the fire of the desert,
00:27:30.98\00:27:33.75
along with the story
of Iron Man Jim Shaw,
00:27:33.78\00:27:36.82
then be sure to
join us again next week
00:27:36.85\00:27:39.72
when we'll share another
of life's journeys together.
00:27:39.75\00:27:43.29
Until then, let's
ask God to lead us
00:27:43.32\00:27:46.49
to our own buried treasure
00:27:46.53\00:27:48.46
that He has prepared
for us in Jesus Christ.
00:27:48.50\00:27:51.53
Let's pray.
00:27:51.57\00:27:53.77
Dear Heavenly Father,
00:27:53.80\00:27:55.60
thank You for
the beauty of opals,
00:27:55.64\00:27:57.67
the fire of the desert.
00:27:57.71\00:27:59.44
Lord, we're all
interested in buried treasure.
00:27:59.47\00:28:02.74
But may we always
focus first and foremost
00:28:02.78\00:28:06.68
on the greatest treasure of all,
00:28:06.72\00:28:08.78
Jesus and the gift of
salvation that He offers us
00:28:08.82\00:28:12.82
and the inner peace
and happiness He brings.
00:28:12.85\00:28:16.06
We ask this in
Jesus' name, amen.
00:28:16.09\00:28:19.66