For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. – James 1:11
In the grand scheme of things the pursuits of the ambitious of this world are equal to the grass and the flowers. The grass represents the 'normal' people of the world and the flowers the ones who hit it big, if you will. The flowers represent the super-rich, the super-stars, and the super-successful. Although they stand out from the grass for the brief time that they do, the sun scorches the grass and the flower alike. They both perish together. The bible says that life here on earth is but a vapor (James 4:14). Compared to eternity, life is very, very short. To pour all of your heart and your soul into this very short period of our existence is foolish. We need to live for the next life and not just this one. “Because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever (1 Pet 1:24-25).”
Hal Chaffee 