I have heard many different versions of the following story. This particular variation comes from "Chicken Soup For the Soul".

There once was an eager student who wanted to gain wisdom and insight.  He went to the wisest of the town, Socrates, to seek his counsel.  Socrates was an old soul and had great knowledge of many things.  The boy asked the town sage how he too could acquire such mastery.  Being a man of few words, Socrates chose not to speak, but to illustrate.

He took the child to the beach and, with all of his clothes still on, walked straight out into the water.  He loved to do curious things like that, especially when he was trying to prove a point. The pupil gingerly followed his instruction and walked into the sea, joining Socrates where the water was just below their chins.  Without saying a word, Socrates reached out and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders.  Looking deep into his student’s eyes, Socrates pushed the student’s head under the water with all his might.

A struggle ensued, and just before a life was taken away, Socrates released his captive.  The boy raced to the surface and, gasping for air and choking from the salt water, looked around for Socrates in order to seek his retaliation on the sage. To the student’s bewilderment, the old man was already patiently waiting on the beach.  When the student arrived on the sand, he angrily shouted, "Why did you try to kill me?" The wise man calmly retorted with a question of his own: "Boy, when you were underneath the water, not sure if you would live to see another day, what did you want more than anything in the world?"

The student took a few moments to reflect, then went with his intuition.   Softly he said, "I wanted to breathe."  Socrates, now illuminated by his own huge smile, looked at the boy comfortingly and said, "Ah! When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you wanted to breathe, it is then that you shall have it."

There is much of a spiritual nature that we do not receive because we don't want it enough. But, when we desire a knowledge of God's word, when we desire a close relationship with God, when we desire wisdom (the ability to make good decisions) to such extent that those things take first priority, when we truly want them more than anything else in the world, then they lie within our grasp.

Our problem often is that we desire them, but we also desire many other things.  That's why Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything and follow him (Mark 10:21).  He wanted to see how strong the young man's desire was.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wishes
to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his
life for My sake shall find it.'
(Matt. 16:24-25, NASV)

"Father, I confess that often in my life desire for other things has distracted me from my desire to have a close relationship with you.  Please strengthen me that I may reach the point that being close to you means more than life itself.