Orange tree

“You perceive how the soul is the intermediary between the body and the spirit. In like manner is this tree [a small orange tree on a nearby table] the intermediary between the seed and the fruit. When the fruit of the tree appears and becomes ripe, then we know that the tree is perfect; if the tree bore no fruit it would be merely a useless growth, serving no purpose!”

– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá