Purity Ring For Teenagers

My Letter to You, Dear Teen:  The Symbolism of the Purity Ring

As you have noticed by now, this design comes with a scripture reference to show you that like many other promises in the word of God, you can personally ask the One who made you to guide you. But most importantly, you can ask Him to “create in you a pure heart” (Psalms 51:10). You will regain focus, among other things. You will be surprised about how your Maker can deal with and transform your innermost feelings. I encourage you to personally experience this relationship with God... not just acknowledge or believe in it, but to truly have a close relationship with Him.
The special design of this ring represents the relationship between you and God, the only one who can truly help you during difficult times. The two strands on the ring represent YOU and GOD, intertwined together. The gift of the ring itself symbolizes a special moment between you and your parents:  a conversation that they want to have with you that expresses nothing else but their love for you, and their desire for you to have all the best things in life. In love, your parents are sharing information about sex, and are then giving you the opportunity to ask them any questions you may have now and in the future.
It is my honor to present this beautiful ring. I believe that God himself placed this design in my mind, thinking of you in this fragile but very special stage. At this moment, in the stage in your life you’re in right now, you are loved by Him. The Creator who knew you before you were even in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). The One who created you. He wants to let you know that, in this very special way, through this design. In the process of creating this ring, you were and you will always be in my prayers.
Behind the designer
I was born in El Salvador, grew up in Guatemala, and now live in America. When I was fourteen years, I wound up pregnant. I was very, very young, and it was a difficult situation. Sadly, I made the mistake of listening to my heart instead of my head. I was so young, and destroyed the hope that my loved ones had for my future. The one who was hurt the most was my mother. I went from being her greatest joy to being her greatest disappointment. Considering that I was her only daughter, I became her pain. My future became uncertain. But my mother stayed by my side and offered me help, something I was more in need of than ever before. Imagine a fourteen-year-old having a baby... yet single mother, and a child having a child. That was my reality.
These days, abortion is considered to be the easy way out of a situation like I was in. But I am so grateful that wasn’t an option for me, because the child that was born out of my situation turned out to provide my only chance at motherhood. If I had terminated my pregnancy, I would have regretted that decision for the rest of my life. I am beyond grateful to not have made that choice, because I am extremely blessed and love my only son deeply.
At the time I got pregnant, I thought I was choosing love — or at least what I thought was love — but my choices put me in a very tough situation with a baby on the way. Times were already very hard back then, and having a baby on the way didn’t make them any better. Every single spare cent we had was to spent to give the baby a good “welcome home.” Preparing for the baby came with a great, great price —to even satisfy my craving for a small cup of ice cream required tremendous sacrifice and weeks spent saving money.
When we are teenagers, we can’t make sense of it all and we are unable to see the “big picture” of the universe. When you are a teenager you can’t see past the “now” — you can’t see the future, or what the rest of your life will look like. This is because a teenager is developing in an interesting and unique way; our brains and our bodies are at the transition point between child and adult. Everything in our bodies requires time to fully develop. But until the brain reaches full maturity, good advice sounds like nonsense, and bad ideas seem appealing. At least that is how it was for me.
It takes a lot of wisdom for parents to be able to relate to their teenagers; in fact, it takes years of shared communication. But never give up on that relationship, because everything can be fixed — it is better without regret. Whether or not you are on the right path, communication and love is the perfect recipe for keeping the relationship with your parents strong. Choose love and common sense for yourself and others through your decisions, respect your parents, and most importantly, choose to honor the author of life, the only one who can give and take away life:  Our Maker.
Thanks to the strength, understanding, and support of my mother, I now have the privilege of being called Mom myself. My son has been the blessing of my life since I was fifteen. But it was only by God’s mercy and grace that it worked out as good as it did, considering the financial difficulties and the hardship of caring for a child while still a child myself, when my friends were busy enjoying their teenage years with their friends, school, and discovering opportunities for their lives. Everything else in my life went to the back burner when I became a mother. Overnight, I had to learn to be a responsible mom; it was urgent!
So, my dear teen, I really encourage you to listen to your parents’ wise advice about waiting to have sex; it is so much better when we enjoy the very best parts of a relationship in the time frame that God designed for them to happen. Please heed my testimony and learn from my experience; even though I love my soon and consider him to be a great blessing, it was much too early in my life to become a mother. Be wise and learn from the mistakes of my poor choices.
I hope my story has influenced you to choose love, understanding, and communication, and always have hope for a better future. No matter what has happened already in your life, God has chosen you for a purpose. Enjoy life and everything that comes with it, knowing you always have God’s strength on your side. Whether or not you wear this ring, know that God is always with you.
With love from my Father’s heart,
Designer Ana M. Monterroso