When my now husband, Mike, proposed to me, he
did so with a CTR ring. He knew that I was particular with my jewelry and
so he thought it best to go ring shopping with me after we were officially
engaged. Smart man. As we began searching for the perfect ring,
Mike's mother offered me a diamond from Mike's grandmother, who had passed
away. Mike's mother was incredibly surprised when I turned down the
diamond, but I explained that I wanted a ruby for my center stone. Some
of my friends were surprised that I turned down a diamond so I could have a
ruby in my engagement ring. "Why are you so set on having a ruby in
your ring?" my friends would ask.
My wedding ring (photograph by Marissa Odell)
Most of us are familiar of the scripture found
in Proverbs 31:10 "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far
above rubies." I wanted a ruby in my ring as a reminder of how
valuable women are to the Lord. The value and worth of women is being bombarded
on every side. Images of how women are supposed to look and act are
constantly before our eyes. Often we are told that if we do not match
these images, then we are of little worth. This is a complete lie, but it
is unfortunately a lie that we can easily fall into if we are not
careful.
It is not a coincidence that the scriptures
compare the value of a virtuous woman to a ruby. Did you know that rubies
are quite valuable and even comparable to diamonds in some cases? Both
the diamond and the ruby are considered precious gemstones (with only sapphires
and emeralds joining them in that category). A diamond measures a 10 on a
hardness scale with 10 being the upper limit. A ruby measures a 9 on that
same scale. The "four Cs"
(color, cut, clarity and carats) that are used to value a diamonds are also
used to value rubies. Both diamonds and rubies go through a treatment
process that prepares them for their purpose, which is usually jewelry. Part
of the process a ruby goes through includes being heated to extremely high
temperatures. This helps remove imperfections and bring out and intensify
the true color of the stone.
Just as rubies go through a
preparation process, we as women are experiencing a preparation process. Alma
34:32 reads: "For behold this life is the time for men to prepare to meet
God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their
labors." This life can often be difficult with all that we are asked
to do and the challenges we experience. But we can remember that we are
going through a preparation process that will help us become more pure and will
increase our value. Although this preparation process is difficult, it
helps us rise to the potential that the Lord can see within us. Just as a ruby’s true color is brought out
during the preparation process, our true colors can shine through as we prepare
in this life. Remember that our value as
women is far above rubies. You
are of infinite worth to the Lord. You
are loved by so many. May God bless you
to always remember that and to rise to the potential that is within you!
All our love,
Robyn Larson and the Relief Society Presidency
