Illuminated Manuscripts

It was a common practice from the early days of Christianity and into the Renaissance Era to adorn sacred texts with illustrations and elaborate borders and even lavish materials like pure gold leaf. These texts were called Illuminated Manuscripts. It required a great deal of effort and expense to transform a book into a work of art. In a way, they literally turned the words of God into a treasure. How can we turn the words of God into a treasure in our day? "Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds." (D&C 43:34). An Illuminated Manuscript would make the words jump out of the page and come alive. They would turn a single letter into a beautiful painting. Do we put the same kind of care and attention into our study of the scriptures? For us, do the words of eternity loom large in our minds, intricately ornate and arrayed in gold leaf and precious inks and gems? Or on the bookshelf of our souls, are the words of the Lord half-heartedly scrawled on cheap paper with a dull pencil, hard to understand and completely unloved and more than half forgotten? The more care we give to truly studying and understanding the word of God, copying with care and devotion and great artistry the words directly onto our souls, the more will our minds and our hearts be illuminated that we may see the world and ourselves and the Hand of God as they really are, and as they really will be. I know that if we treasure up the words of eternity in our hearts and minds, that knowledge and intelligence will rise with us in the world to come. It is at least one treasure that we can take with us.