One of the fathers told us...

…of a gifted young man who was apprenticed to a goldsmith and became highly skilled in his craft. A person of patrician rank commissioned the goldsmith to make a jeweled cross as an offering to the church. As the youth was very gifted, the master charged him with the work. The youth thought: “Since the patrician is offering so much wealth to Christ, why should I not add my wages to the value of the cross so that Christ will reckon this in my favor, just as he did that widow’s two mites?” He worked out how much he was going to receive, borrowed that amount and disbursed it on the making of the cross. When the patrician came, he weighed the cross before the precious stones were set in it and found that it weighed more than the mass of gold he had given. He began accusing the youth of having deceitfully tampered with the gold. The other replied: “He who alone knows the secrets of our hearts is fully aware that I have done no such thing. I saw how much money you were offering to Christ and I thought I would add my wages so that I could have a share in the offering together with you, and that Christ would accept my offering as He did the two mites of the widow.” The patrician was astounded at this. He said: “Did you really think that, child?” and the youth answered that he did. “Since you thought like that and dedicated your entire course of action to Christ in order to gain a share in my offering, from this day forward I make you my son and heir.” He took the young man with him and made him his heir.

John Moschos, Leimonarion (The Spiritual Meadow) 200