A Wishing Pearl and A New Leaf are inspired by the story of Noah’s flood which tells of the time when the great rain fell, and heaven and earth were submerged in deep, deep waters. As the story goes, after the rain, the waters began to recede, and the mountains once again rose into the sky above the misty sea. Noah sent out two birds from his boat, first a raven then a dove to see if the waters had abated. The raven found no place to perch and flew round and round until the waters dried. The dove, on its first flight, returned to the boat because it found no rest, but on its second journey, it returned carrying a sprig of an olive leaf. On its third flight, it did not come back, for it had found a new home on the new earth. Like the raven, there are times when our wishes need a few more rounds on their journey until they find their come true, and like the dove, a new leaf found can be all the assurance we need for a new life hoped for.