Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Therefore, faith in its purest form requires no physical manifestation, as it is a demonstration of our complete trust in the character of the one to whom we place our faith. Yet people continue to flock to physical manifestations whenever they are said to appear. That would seem to be at odds with the word's definition, yet even in the weakness of the seeker is the hope for a better world revealed. In the case of the man in the story who has brought home an artifact from the Holy Land, it carries an even bigger hope: the hope of life.