Chapter 1

Her best friend Amahle often came over after school. They would sit side by side, coloring and giggling. One afternoon, Amahle reached for the purple crayon at the same time Liyana did.

“Let me use it first!” said Liyana.

“You always use it,” Amahle grumbled. She tugged the crayon. Liyana tugged back. Suddenly, there was a sharp snap.

Both girls stared. The purple crayon lay in two pieces on the table. Liyana’s eyes grew wide. She looked at Amahle. Amahle looked at the floor.

“You broke it,” Liyana whispered. “On purpose.”

Amahle didn’t say sorry. She just turned and walked away.

Liyana’s face got hot. Her hands made tight fists. She picked up the broken pieces and held them. “I will never forgive you!” she shouted after Amahle. Inside her chest, something strange happened. It felt like a heavy stone had dropped into her heart. The stone was gray and cold, and it made her want to cry and stomp her feet all at once.

She tried to draw with a different crayon, but nothing looked right. The stone just sat there, heavier and heavier.

That night, Gogo came to tuck her in. She saw Liyana’s sad face and sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong, my sweet girl?”

Liyana told her everything – about the broken crayon, about Amahle walking away, about the stone in her heart.

Gogo nodded slowly. She picked up the Bible from the nightstand and opened it. “Listen,” she said. “Colossians chapter three, verse thirteen: ‘Forgive as the Lord forgave you.’”

Liyana frowned. “But Gogo, it’s too hard! I can’t forgive her. She broke my favorite crayon on purpose!”

Gogo put the Bible down and wrapped her arms around Liyana. Her hug was warm and soft like a blanket. “Forgiveness isn’t saying what she did was okay,” Gogo said gently. “It’s letting go of the heavy stone you’re carrying. When you hold on to anger, your heart gets tired. But when you forgive, your heart becomes light again.”

Liyana thought about the stone. She didn’t like carrying it. It made everything feel yucky.

After Gogo kissed her goodnight and turned off the lamp, Liyana lay in the dark. She remembered what Gogo said about letting go. She looked up at the ceiling and whispered, “Jesus, I don’t know how to forgive like You. But please help me. Help me let go of the stone.”

A soft, gentle light seemed to fill the room. It wasn’t from the moon or the streetlamp outside. It was warm and peaceful. And inside her chest, the stone didn’t feel so heavy anymore. It started to feel smaller, like it was melting away. Liyana smiled and closed her eyes.

The next morning, she woke up with a new feeling – not angry, just ready. She put the broken purple crayon in her pocket and walked to school. At break time, she found Amahle sitting alone on a bench.

Liyana took a breath. “Amahle, I forgive you,” she said softly.

Amahle’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m really sorry, Liyana. I didn’t mean to break it. I was just grumpy. I wish I hadn’t done it.”

Liyana smiled. “It’s okay. Let’s go draw!”

They ran to Liyana’s house. Gogo had bought a brand-new box of crayons – with two purple ones! The girls sat at the kitchen table and drew a big, beautiful rainbow. Liyana used purple for the sky at the end of the rainbow, and Amahle added yellow sunrays. They laughed and colored until the whole paper was bright and happy.

Liyana looked at the rainbow and then at her heart. The stone was completely gone. In its place was something light and bouncy, like a happy little balloon.

She learned that forgiveness wasn’t just a word you said. It was a feeling you let in. And when you did, God made your heart happy and light again.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made – and your heart was made to love and forgive. Liyana knew that now. And whenever someone hurt her again, she would remember the rainbow and the tiny prayer in the dark, and she would let the stone go.

That night, she hung her drawing on the wall. It was the best picture she had ever made. And she knew, deep down, that the best part wasn’t the crayons – it was having a friend to share them with.