Purity Ring Ceremonies

LITHIA SPRINGS, GA - JUNE 16: (L-R) Rhonda McCoy, Ebony Montgomery, 10 and Te'Quan McCoy, 12, get ready for the Purity Ring Ceremony June 16, 2007 in Lithia Springs, Georgia. Young children, teenagers and their parents or guardians came together for three days to promote abstinence. Issues like STDs, peer pressure, teen pregnancy, molestation and abuse were also main topics of panel discussions. The Holywood Retreat concluded with a Purity Ring Ceremony where each participant pledged to keep their virginity or to no longer participate in sex outside of marriage by wearing a "purity ring" on their wedding finger until the day it is replaced by a wedding ring. The three day event featured ministers and lay speakers, a fashion show that illustrated how one can remain modest and fashionable, a religious concert as well as other activities that entertained a predominantly young and energetic group. (Photo by Marvi Lacar/Getty Images)