“What do you say about a person who is poor but does not flatter, or a person who is rich but not haughty?”
“He is a decent person. But he is not better than the one who is poor but enjoys life, or the person who is rich and keeps courtesy.”
“The Book of Odes says, ‘A man of virtue cuts, sharpens, chisels, and refines.’ Is this what you mean?”
“Yes. Now we can discuss the Book of Odes!”
This is a conversation between Confucius and his disciple Zigong.
Confucius says, “It is hard for a poor man not to flatter and for a rich man not to be arrogant. But what is harder is to enjoy life despite poverty and to be courteous despite wealth.” And he taught that the process of cutting, sharpening, chiseling, and refining is needed to become a man of virtue. He meant that study and character must be sharpened and refined constantly just as ivory and jade look great and shine after being chiseled and smoothed.
There is no good artwork from the beginning. There is not a good person since birth, either. This is why we need to be refined.