49

In my hand, I'm holding something very special to me. My grandfather made it for a necklace for my grandmother out of a gemstone called chrysoprase. This particular stone came from either California, where they lived, or Australia where they traveled. To me, it's a symbol of the love of my grandparents. For a while, I lost it. I was devastated and looked everywhere. Happily, after several months, I found it on the floor of my closet.

Have you ever lost something important to you?

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10-16 tells us how important we are to our Heavenly Father. Our salvation is important to Him. He loves all of us.

In Luke 15, we read three parables about lost things: the lost sheep wandered to other fields; the lost coin was lost through carelessness; and the lost son rebelled and was lost by choice. No matter what the reason, we know as Elder James E. Talmage taught:

"Joy abounds in heaven over the recovery of a soul once numbered among the lost...The loss of a soul is a very real and very great loss to God. He is pained and grieved thereby, for it is His will that no one should perish."

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we can help bring back those who are lost through our sincere love and friendship.