Grinding a stone into a mirror

Polishing a stone will wear out your hands and will not give you a mirror. The verse says news from far away is hard to get, and that wanting something badly does not change what it is.

This is a lot about accepting limits. It advises stopping the effort that cannot pay off, so that your strength is there for something that can.

If you keep waiting on an answer from someone who has gone silent, or keep reworking a plan that has failed each time, set a deadline and then stop. Put the hours into a goal that responds to your work.