The Brother of Jared (known only by this epithet in scripture, because apparently his name was Mahonri Moriancumer, and that’s not a fun name to carve into metal plates) was on his way to the promised land. He’d built boats that were “tight like unto a dish” so that its residents could live entirely below deck for those times that water will cover them, but it occurred to him that it was going to be very dark in there, which, in addition to creating what must have been a horrendous vitamin D deficiency, would make it hard to steer.

The Brother of Jared went to God and posed this problem, to which the Lord answered, “What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?” (Ether 2:23). No windows, he specified, and no fire. But other than that—what can I do for you? (This always reminds me of my dad, whose favorite mantra while I was growing up was, “You’re smart, you can figure it out.”)

The Brother of Jared reflected on this for a while and then went to work making sixteen shiny stones of glass. He took them to God, saying, “Look, I know this might be a stupid idea, and don’t be mad at me, but here’s my pitch: what if you touch them, and fill them with your light, and we’ll use that to cross the sea” (Ether 3:4). The Lord, invisible behind a cloud during this whole conversation, reached out and touched the stones, and they were filled with light.