NEW BEGINNINGS
Treasures in Heaven

How many of you have heard of a Hope Chest?  A hope chest is a chest where girls
keep special things they have made or purchased to use in their future marriages
and families.  Tonight we are going to talk about filling a very different kind
of hope chest.  We will not fill it with earthly treasures of silver or gold, or
even of handmade quilts, blankets, or money.  We will fill it with attributes
that will help us be more like Christ.  These "treasures" will give us "a more
perfect hope" than any kind of riches can buy, a "more perfect hope" for our
future marriages and families, as well as eternal life with God and Jesus
Christ.  You have heard the phrase "you can't take it with you."  This means
that when we die, none of our material possessions, our money, cars, clothes,
nice home  will come with us.  It will rust and rot away.  But if we instead
focus our energy on laying up "treasures in heaven," these kind of treasures
will bring us true happiness and will last forever.  Listen now as the YW  share
with you the personal progress program and the Young Women's values treasures to
take with you for a happy life.         

The first treasure which we can take with us is
FAITH-
"I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me and I will have FAITH in his
eternal plan which centers in Jesus Christ, my Savior."

A grain of mustard seed is the small token which will remind us to seek for the
treasure of FAITH in Jesus Christ and in his eternal plan.  Alma said,  "Now we
will compare the word unto a seed.  Now, if ye give place that a seed may be
planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do
not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the spirit of the Lord,
behold, it will begin to swell "(Alma 32: 27-28).  If you will notice, this
mustard seed is very small you can hardly see it from your seats. In Matthew, we
read Jesus Christ's parable about the mustard seed:  "The kingdom of heaven is
like to a grain of mustard seed . . .which indeed is the least of all seeds, but
when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree so that
the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."  I pray that we
may develop our small seed of faith into a great tree that will shelter us and
our families and friends, as we nurture it with prayer, scripture study and
church attendance.  

A second treasure which will guide us in our lives is  knowledge of our 
DIVINE NATURE
"I have inherited divine qualities which I will strive to develop." 
 
A young woman who understands  that she is a daughter of God and understands
what this means is a rare jewel.  Look at this piece of coal.  Do you see
anything special?  While this piece of coal may not look like a rare gem, it
contains all of the qualities which make a beautiful diamond, just as a daughter
of God has inherited divine qualities to become like God. Carbon, the main
ingredient of coal, is also what makes a diamond.  So, what makes the
difference?  To become a diamond, coal is put under great heat and pressure.  So
is a Young Woman.  From the world she lives in, she has great pressure to become
involved in drug abuse, immorality, dishonesty, violence, poor friendships and
more.  Like coal, she can crack and melt under this tremendous pressure, or she
can stay true to her beliefs and strong in the faith.  If she stays strong under
pressure,  she can become a unique diamond, a beautiful jewel of righteousness. 
The token to remind us of our divine nature is a piece of coal, a diamond in the
rough,  rich with possibility.

A third treasure we need to succeed in life is a knowledge of our 
INDIVIDUAL WORTH
"I am of infinite worth with my own divine mission which I will strive to
fulfill."

Every diamond is different.  Though each is made from the same building blocks
of carbon, the conditions, pressures and heat make a very different jewel out of
each one.  Young Women are all given different life circumstances, talents and
characteristics.  All have different strengths and all have different trials,
but each is of infinite worth, MUCH more valuable than the most valuable
diamond.  Because each Young Woman is unique, she will be able to serve the Lord
and his children in ways that NO ONE ELSE can. You are special to God.  He loves
you and knows what you can be and how you will serve.  Be true to His trust and
love.  As He says in the Doctrine & Covenants, "Remember the worth of souls is
great in the sight of God."  This "diamond" will remind us that each child of
God has priceless worth. 

A "pearl of great price" which we can take with us is
KNOWLEDGE
"I will continually seek opportunities for learning and growth."

As we are told in Matthew, we cannot take our earthly treasures with us when we
die. Money, clothes, cars, and other possessions do not last forever.  But in
the Doctrine and Covenants, we learn that whatever knowledge we gain, we CAN
take with us.  "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life,
it will rise with us in the resurrection."(D&C130:18) Christ tells us in a
parable to seek for a pearl of great price and to sacrifice all we have obtain
it.  One of these pearls is knowledge of the gospel.  But the Lord has also told
us to seek after all truth: "Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek
learning, even by study and also by faith."(D&C 88:118) President Hinckley, our
prophet has told us that we should make whatever sacrifice is necessary to get a
good education. Take with you the pearl of knowledge.  It will bless your life.

A precious gift we have already been given by our Heavenly Father is our agency,
our ability to 
choose.  With this gift of CHOICE comes responsibility or ACCOUNTABILITY for the
choices we make. 
"I will remain free by choosing good over evil and will accept responsibility
for my choices."

This is a CTR ring.  The letters CTR have a special meaning: Choose the Right. 
Notice the shape of the ring.  It is a shield.  By choosing the right and
keeping God's commandments, we shield ourselves from the evil influences of the
world.  Sometimes we think that if we can choose whatever we want, we are free. 
This is partly true: when God gave us the gift of choice,  he left us free to
choose good or evil.  However, each time we choose evil our next possible
choices are limited.  For instance, if we decide to drink alcohol or take drugs,
we give up a certain amount of our ability to choose.  Our minds are clouded or
even destroyed, and we do not have the mental ability to think about our
actions.  We may do things that we do not even realize we are doing.  We may
become physically dependent on the drugs, and have to have them in order to
survive.  This is not freedom.  It is bondage.  The same is true with other poor
choices.  
As you wear this CTR ring, look at it often.  It will remind you that choosing
good protects you and keeps you free.


Surprisingly, one of the treasures that can add richness to our lives is service
to others.
  
3 Nephi 12:16 "Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they
may see your GOOD WORKS and glorify your Father who is in Heaven."
"I will nurture others and build the kingdom through righteous service."

Good Works are the things we do that help others to know the love of God.  We
have been volunteering at a handicapped home in the area.  Several of the girls
have said that it has been one of their favorite activities so far.  It makes
you feel so good when you make someone else happy.  Jesus taught that "when ye
do it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  As
girls who know that Heavenly Father and Jesus love us, we should show that love
to others. Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.  He has brought hope and love
to a dark world.  This little candle is to remind us to let our little light
shine like the light of Christ so that others will come to know  Him.                  


The final treasure which we will add to our treasure box is
INTEGRITY
"I will have the moral courage to make my actions consistent with my knowledge
of right and wrong."

Integrity means wholeness or completeness.  As we live the Young Women values
and keep the commandments of God, we will have a wholesome and complete life: 
we will have built our life upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  It
means that we are true: we "walk the walk and talk the talk." In the Bible,
Jesus tells a story of a wise man who builds his house upon a rock and a foolish
man who builds his house upon the sand.  A flood comes, and guess whose house is
still standing after the flood?   The flood waters washed away the sand, and the
house on top of it,  but the rock stayed solid and true despite the pressures of
the water all around it, and so did the house built upon it.  

Our rock is Jesus Christ.  We know that he is the way, the truth and the light. 
When we build our lives on Him, his gospel, and his commandments, we will not be
washed away.  When we build our lives upon things that are not true, it is like
building on sand.  Sand can be there one minute, but if wind comes, or water
comes or even a person takes a shovel to it, it is gone.  A large rock, part of
the earth,  is very difficult to move.  This little rock is a token to remind us
to build our lives on the rock of Jesus Christ and stay true to the faith, to
have integrity.