14:10 May 23, 2009 

I think that I understand the point ("Just like when the waters recede, the stones in the river bed below can be seen, when economic cycles change, one can see where abuses have taken place..."), but I'm struggling to put this into idiomatic English that native English speakers will understand while preserving the tone and meaning of the original Spanish. If I translate it literally, no English speaker will really feel the thrust of the original Spanish. I think that Brett's second answer is close, but I don't think that this is the exact metaphor to use. Any more suggestions? Even if you have already provided an answer, please feel free to provide another if come up with a good one. Thanks, guys!