Jesus uses the Parable of the Talents to help us understand our calling as Christians and our responsibility to use what God has given us to bring Him glory and honor! We have the most valuable gift of all, the Word of God and the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. This gift is for us to share with others through our words and actions. It is a great responsibility with great reward as described in the Parable of the Talents.
Jesus tells a story of a rich man who has three slaves. He gives each slave an amount of money, referred to as talents and possibly talents of gold, based upon that mans ability to steward and care for the money. The first steward is given 5 talents, the second is given two talents and the third is given one. The master told them to care for his money and the first two servants used the talents to trade and gain profit. They returned to their master with double the talents! The third servant was fearful and hid the one talent he was trusted with, returning just one talent to his master. The master scolded him saying that he should have invested the money and received interest. 
The Parable of the Talents should encourage us and challenge us to take what God has given us and invest in the kingdom of God. There is great reward waiting for those who steward well with what the Lord has given them.