Talents

Tiff preached something interesting about talents last night in Encounter. The message was clearly presented, and I'm glad she preached. She mentioned something that intrigued me though. The "talents" that were given by the master in Matthew 25 were understood in financial terms in Jesus's day. Obviously Jesus knew that, since He's the One who chose the words. What implications does the passage have for our financial well-being, then? Are Christians so busy drawing the point about using the talents God has invested in us that we forget about the financial implications (if there are any)?

Here's another thing. We all know that there is a difference between talents and spiritual gifts. Some time I want to hear Tiff's sermon as it applies (if at all) to spiritual gifts, since those are also gifts given by the Lord to be invested into others. What do you all think?