Parable Pattern

Some aspects of the parable form that might make a pattern...

Are typically oral stories
Are good stories that draw the hearer in
invitational, not prescriptive - invites the listener to see things a they might not otherwise see, suggest more than they say, and invite a transformation of perception.
"arresting crystallizations of insight that invite further insight"
do not invoke external authority- are authoritative in themselves
are about seeing for oneself, not about hearing what to believe
Said singly, presented in a context appropriate to the insight.
Said many times, not always the same way, but with differing emphasis and elaboration.
Not presented as speeches, but in the context of a dialog with the hearer.
Often appear as simple truisms, but the hearer is expected to see them in metaphor, and observe what lesson there might be beyond the surface meaning.

Parables on Wiki

SharpenTheSaw probably counts as a parable.