My father once told me the story of a chess-playing king. Perhaps you’ve heard it?

Once upon a time, a king challenged a traveling sage to a game of chess, and the king promised the sage whatever reward he desired if he beat him. The sage told the king that he had a very modest claim, and being a man of few material needs, all he wished for was some rice, the amount being determined using the chessboard in the following manner: one grain of rice in the first square, two in the second square, four in the third square, eight in the fourth square, sixteen in the fifth square, and so on, every consecutive square having double the number of grains.

The king was delighted at this simple request, and the game began. Sure enough, the king lost, so to keep his word, he ordered a sack of rice be brought and he began to do the math and count out the grains. But he eventually discovered that the final amount of rice that he owed the winner would be more than all the rice in his entire kingdom.

There are several versions and endings to this story, as well as lessons that can be drawn, besides the math lesson of exponential growth. But what brought this story to mind was this: As there are 64 squares on a chess board, there are 365 days in a year, and each one holds the possibility of growth, but—and here is the hard part—we have to be committed, consistent, and persistent. One grain of rice is next to nothing, and even when doubled with each new square, after 14 squares it would only amount to one pound or half a kilo. That doesn’t look like much. So, when we commit to something—a new good habit, learning a new skill, starting a new business—we are likely to become discouraged if we look for progress too quickly or we don’t see immediate change.

The Bible shows the importance of good stewardship and investing in growing what we have received. In the parable of the talents, we read that each person is given a certain number of talents to invest: “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability” (Matthew 25:15).

When the master returned, he rewarded each of the two stewards who invested and grew their talents, and he said to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23). Whereas the one who hid his talent in the ground and didn’t allow it to grow was deemed an unworthy servant (Matthew 25:14–30).

Let’s not underestimate the cumulative effect of seemingly small steps of progress! Let’s have patience and be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us and watch it grow.