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b'\\u201cWhere is that pearl?\\u201d Mira worriedly wound a strand of her long, lavender\\nlocks around her finger. She swam up to a glistening sea anemone and peered\\naround it carefully. Nothing! \\u201cHey girl!\\u201d Mira whipped around to see the\\nfreckle-filled face of her best friend grinning back at her. \\u201cLena! You\\nscared my tail off!\\u201d Mira huffed, smoothing her turquoise scales. Lena\\nlaughed and said, \\u201cWhat are you looking for so intently? I don\\u2019t think you\\nwould have noticed a flotilla of swordfish!\\u201d Mira grabbed Lena\\u2019s arm.\\n\\u201cYou\\u2019ve got to help me\\u2014I\\u2019ve lost the Pearl of Protection!\\u201d \\u201cWait\\u2014you\\u2019ve\\nlost the very pearl that protects all of Merlantis from enemy\\ninvaders\\u2026and now it\\u2019s out there just waiting for the Ligores to find it?\\u201d\\nLena\\u2019s face grew pale. \\u201cKeep your voice down!\\u201d Mira shuddered. The Ligores\\nwere the fiercest kind of tiger sharks known to mer-kind. Their jaws had\\nbeen known to slice a mer-tail in half, their manes barbed with stinging\\ntentacles that would render the victim immobile for up to a day.\\n\\u201cSorry\\u2014I\\u2019ll help you search.\\u201d Lena swam quickly over to the coral reef, her\\nfuchsia tail blending with the bright colors of the reef. Hours later, Mira\\nand Lena hovered at the edge of Skelton, the ship graveyard of the deep.\\n\\u201cIf the Ligores stole the pearl, they would hide it here.\\u201d Mira tried to\\nkeep the fear from seeping through her whispered words. Lena nodded\\nsolemnly, and they swam forward together. Deep in the hull of the third\\nship they searched, Mira noticed a board sticking up from the floor at an\\nodd angle. She motioned Lena over, and they tugged until the board came\\nfree, revealing a pouch that looked as though it had been crafted from\\nLigore skins. Grimacing, Mira pulled on the strings that she hoped were not\\nentrails. Inside lay the glistening Pearl of Protection. \\u201cOnce it was lost,\\nbut now it is found.\\u201d Lena breathed with a victorious smile. Mira enclosed\\nthe smooth pearl in her palm. \\u201cOh Lena, I\\u2019m so thankful we found it! Let\\u2019s\\nget this beauty back to Merlantis where it belongs\\u2026then we can\\ncelebrate!\\u201d \\u2022 Savannah Coleman \\u2022 In Luke 15, Jesus told three parables\\nabout something lost: a sheep, a coin, and a son. In the first two\\ninstances, the people who lost things searched until they found them. But\\nin the parable of the lost son, the father was eagerly waiting to welcome\\nhis straying son home with open arms. God the Father rejoices when the lost\\nare found (verses 6-7, 9-10, 22-24, 32)! How might this truth give you\\nhope? \\u2022 Just as Mira and Lena searched for the pearl until it was found,\\nand the people in Jesus\\u2019s parables searched for what was lost, God never\\nstops seeking those who are lost. He desires that all people come to Him (2\\nPeter 3:9). He is the God who provides a home for the lost, safety for\\nthose in danger, and rest for the weary. He sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue\\nus from bondage and set us free by dying on the cross and rising from the\\ndead (Ezekiel 34:27; Luke 4:17-21). If you haven\\u2019t put your trust in Jesus,\\nare you ready to come to the One who provided a way for you to be found?\\n(Romans 10:9-13) If you have questions about this, who are trusted\\nChristians in your life you can talk to? (You can also find more\\ninformation on our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page.) \\u2022 Jesus also told a parable about\\nhow the kingdom of heaven is like an extremely valuable pearl. He said,\\n\\u201cAgain, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.\\nWhen he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had\\nand bought it\\u201d (Matthew 13:44-46). As God seeks us with deep love, He also\\nlongs for us to seek Him. Why is knowing God more precious than anything\\nelse? \\u201cFor the Son of Man [Jesus] cam'