What is of value to you and I?

I have been reading in Revelation recently. I am at the point where the new Jerusalem is lowered to the new Earth, and we get to read a description of it -
Chapter 21:15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia (about 1400 miles) in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits(200 feet) thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. (The exact stones are not all clear) 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

Many things came into my mind as I read this passage - one was an old joke. Yes, this is Chas' mind we are delving into here...

A man finally found a way to take his wealth with him to heaven. Having been told all his life that 'you can't take it with you,' he exhausted himself on the project and may very well have died years earlier thanks to the effort he expended - but he did show up at the pearly gates holding a huge bag of gold.

Saint Peter had only one question for the man -

"Why did you bring your own paving material?"

Matthew 16:26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?