"Young women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, remember who you are," said Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women general president.
"You are elect. You are daughters of God. You cannot be a generation of young women who are content to fit in. You must have the courage to stand out; to 'arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations'" (Doctrine and Covenants 115:5).
Speaking during the General Young Women Meeting in the Conference Center on March 27, Sister Dalton said the world will have young women believe that they are not significant — that they are out of fashion and out of touch.
"The world calls to you with unrelenting, noisy voices to 'live it up,' 'try everything,' 'experiment and be happy.' Conversely, the Holy Ghost whispers and the Lord invites you to 'walk in the paths of virtue ... lay aside the things of this world ... and cleave to your covenants' " (Doctrine and Covenants 25:2, 10, 13).
Sister Dalton said this is a magnificent time to be on the earth and to be a young woman. "Our vision remains the same," she said. "It is to be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple. This is our superlative goal. ...
"You are young women of great faith. You brought your faith with you when you came to earth. ... And now you are here to do what you have been reserved and prepared to do."
Sister Dalton said she has always loved the story of the son of King Louis XVI of France, who as a young man was kidnapped by the evil men who dethroned his father. The men knew if they could destroy him morally, he would not be heir to the throne. For six months they subjected him to every vile thing, but he never yielded.
"This puzzled his captors and after doing everything they could think of, they asked him why he had such great moral strength. His reply was simple. He said, 'I cannot do what you ask, for I was born to be a king.' "
Sister Dalton told the young women that — like the king's son — they have inherited a royal birthright. "Each of you has a divine heritage. You are literally the royal daughters of our Father in Heaven. Each of you was born to be a queen," she declared.
Sister Dalton asked the young women to focus on "deep beauty" — the kind of beauty that shines from the inside out. "It is the kind of beauty that cannot be painted on, surgically created or purchased. It is the kind of beauty that doesn't wash off. It is spiritual attractiveness. Deep beauty springs from virtue. It is the beauty of being chaste and morally clean. It is the kind of beauty that you see in the eyes of virtuous women like your mother or grandmother. It is the beauty that is earned through faith, repentance and honoring covenants."
The world, she said, places so much emphasis on physical attractiveness.
"The Lord would tell you that you are each uniquely beautiful. When you are virtuous, chaste and morally clean, your inner beauty glows in your eyes and in your face. ... When you are worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, you are confident and your inner beauty shines brightly."
She asked the worldwide congregation to "look into the mirror of eternity."
"Remember who you are. See yourself as our Heavenly Father sees you. You are elect. You are of noble birth. Don't compromise your divine inheritance. You were born to be a queen. Live so you are worthy to enter the temple and there receive 'all that the Father hath' (Doctrine and Covenants 84:38). Develop deep beauty. There is no more beautiful sight than a young woman who glows with the light of the Spirit, who is confident and courageous because she is virtuous.
"Remember you are daughters of our Heavenly Father. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to show you the way to live so that you could return to Him someday."
