Preciousness. What is precious? Something highly esteemed, perhaps, or cherished. Something possessing great value, inestimable, or treasured. Not referring only to the mere monetary value of a thing, when something is precious, it is something for which we have a deeply personal sense of worth.
We immediately think of our family and loved ones. What they mean to us is more than we can express. It goes without saying that they are precious to us. Then there are those of us who in our youth are studying and embarking upon a career—we may esteem a hard-won achievement or a future goal as being precious. And of course, we all possess or seek to possess that particular object—a diploma, a ring, a car—which we hold so dear. And we certainly value our own lives highly. Family, friends, dreams, possessions and our lives—these are precious to us because they are the objects of our affection, inseparable from our being, woven into the fabric of our heart.
Sadly, however, treasured as they may be, these things are also transitory. Our physical treasures and possessions are precious only as long as we think they are—they have no innate, absolute value in and of themselves. The same is true of our achievements—today's conquests soon become faded memories, and the thrill of success inevitably wears off. Relationships? Even the most intimate often leave us feeling alone. Many can attest, indeed with tears, that even those closest to us, the members of our family, pass away. People, possessions, even life itself are like vapors and eventually fade away. Nothing we deem precious, it seems, will last. After every relationship, every degree, every promotion, every success, we are left wondering what it was worth after all.
So what is precious? What possesses true and enduring worth even when pitted against time and consequence? Is there anything that is truly worthy of our entire life? It is with this question that we present to you this issue of Generation. 
The Editors
"To you therefore who believe is the preciousness." 1 Peter 2:7
