Anatomy of a rose as a metaphor for Love.
Symbolism of a rose means to me. As Juliet said in Shakespeare's R&J "This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath shall become a beauteous flower when next we meet," The beauty of the pedals is representative of the beauty in the romance stage of a relationship. The thorns represent the conflicts we experience and grow from as the romance starts to fade and the relationship changes with time. The stem and roots represent commitment. When we can accept all these parts including the parts that sting us then that opens us to experience true love in its full cycle of cresting/flourishing, and descending.