"Water needs an intermediary, a vessel, between it and the fire, if it is to be heated correctly."

How is the Seeker to set about his task of getting on the right path? In the first place, he should not abandon work and living in the world. Do not give up working, instructs Rumi; indeed, "the treasure which you seek derives from it" This is one reason why all Sufis must have a constructive vocation. Work, though, is not only ordinary labor or even socially acceptable creativity. It includes self-work, the alchemy whereby man becomes perfected: "Wool, through the presence of a man of knowledge, becomes a carpet. Earth becomes a palace. The presence of a spiritual man creates a similar transformation."