Dealing With Adversity

A son who was dealing with adversity complained to his grandfather about his life and how things were so hard for him.
He did not know how he was going to make it and wanted to give up. He was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

His grandfather, a chef, took him to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The son sucked his teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners.
He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.
He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug.
Turning to him he asked, "son", what do you see?" he replied: "Carrots, eggs, and coffee,"

He brought him closer and asked him to feel the carrots. He did and noted that they were soft.
He then asked him to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, he observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked him to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. He humbly asked. "What does it mean, Grandfather?"

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed to the water. "Which are you?" he asked his son.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?