Precious Pearls

The dearest gift I have ever received is my purity ring. It is paired with my most prized possession; my purity. I remember asking for my ring. My mom was shopping online for a ring of her own. It was May, a month before my fifteenth birthday, and my dad had told my mom to pick out a pearl ring for herself as a mother's day present. My parents had begun to ask me what I wanted for my upcoming birthday around that time, and as always I had no idea what to ask for. I remember peering over my mom's shoulder at the lap top screen that afternoon however, and seeing a simple silver band with a pure white pearl.
"Mom."
"Yes, honey?"
"That's what I want for my birthday as a purity ring."
"Well, okay!"
Upon viewing the ring, my mind immediately went to the parable of the pearl in the gospel of Matthew, or the pearl of great price. This parable teaches, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it"(Mt. 13:45-46). What a beautiful metaphor; my purity to me is the pearl of great price. My ring represents this purity.
The ironic thing is that the ring I have now is not the original ring I received on my birthday. I currently wear the third ring. A year after I was given the first ring, I lost it while surfing in the ocean during spring break. The same exact thing happened the following spring break. At least the pearls went back to the ocean. I remember being afraid that my dad would be upset with me for being careless with my ring. Instead, my dad said, "At least it was your ring and not your purity." My ring now has a modest pearl embedded in a silver braided band. I treasure it because of what it represents. My younger sister Katherine received her own pearl ring two years after I did for her fifteenth birthday, and this past Christmas, my youngest sister Bethany (Baby Bee) was given her own.
My sisters and I wear our rings on our left ring fingers. I have been told that this is the only finger with an artery directly connected to the heart.

To my younger sisters Katherine and Bethany:


We all three now wear our own purity rings. The rings may not be the most beautiful materials you own, but they do represent something alluring and precious that you possess. I have often said that precious is often times an overused word. If people truly knew the meaning of precious, they would not use it to describe someone's new haircut. Precious describes somthing of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly. Your pure hearts are indeed wondrously precious. Treat them with care, and you will be treated with care. I am exceedingly proud of both of you.

Love,
D