Thoughts on a Gem of Extremely Large Value

Dear Friends,

Well, in order to prepare a truly fantastic zone conference as a good zone leader, you would probably spend a lot of time pondering and praying about what topics your zone members could really use to lift their spirits and help them be successful rather than recycling an old training that you gave several months ago.  Then, you meticulously set up the room in the stake center that the conference will be held in and you don't forget to pass out hymnbooks before the start of the first hymn.  These are just some very general guidelines.

Ours was FANTASTIC!!!

I've been studying in the Pearl of Great Price lately (well, I actually just read it and the institute manual that goes along with it) and holy cow!  That is one of the most doctrinally intense 61 pages of scripture ever!  If someone asked me, I would compare it to some kind of gem of extremely large value.

Who knew!?

One thing that I'd like to share is Moses 6:59.  The symbolism is just incredible.  Just as we are born into a world of sin, so also must every man be born again into the kingdom of heaven (like Jesus says in John chapter 3)!  And what elements are involved in that process?  The very same three!  Water because of embryonic fluid and baptism.  Blood because of our bodies of flesh and blood (which was not so before the fall) and the redeeming blood of Christ through is atonement.  And the spirit which is united with the body before birth and the Holy Spirit which is united with us when we are confirmed.  It just seems to me like there must have been a grand council in heaven before the world was formed in which all of this was planned out...  Cool, huh?

To be real with you, nothing very exciting happened last week that you would be interested.  I play pranks on Elder LeSueur all the time to keep things interesting.  The latest one was that switched his box spring on top of his mattress and put his sheets on it, but he noticed before he laid down, so that wasn't as fun as it could have been.

I'll do better this week so y'all can have fun stories!

Love
Elder Grabinger

P.S. Give Libby my sincerest congratulations!!!