The Brother of Jared desperately needed a way for his people to have light as they faced a long and difficult journey. The solution he came up with was both brilliant and miraculous, but most of all, it was exactly what they needed to be able to endure successfully and well. 

What if I asked God to make me shine in the darkness? There is a lot of dark, scary stuff in the world these days. What if we prepared ourselves so that we could be clear (purified by Christ) to allow God’s light to shine through us? Do I have people in my life who shine in the darkness? What do I need to do to become that for someone else? 

Book of Mormon, Ether 3 “4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.” 

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/3?verse=4&lang=eng#p4