Gospel Sparks Get the app

A Marvelous Work and a Wonder

The sealed book, a professor who couldn’t read it, and a desert that bursts into flowers

  • 💧 Valiant 7–8
  • Week 39
  • 📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Heavenly Father brought back His lost treasures through Joseph Smith, and Jesus can make anything that feels dry or broken bloom again.

I can thank Heavenly Father for the restored gospel and trust Jesus to help me when I feel sad.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35)
Know the chapters

Isaiah prophesied about 700 years before Jesus was born. It was a scary time. Huge empires like Assyria and Babylon were bullying Israel. In chapters 13–14, Isaiah says proud Babylon will fall. Babylon becomes a symbol of worldly pride. Isaiah 14:12–15 even describes Lucifer, who wanted to put himself above God and fell. In chapters 24–30 and 35, Isaiah looks far ahead to the last days. He sees the Restoration, the Savior’s victory over death, and a desert that blossoms.

For eight-year-olds, the star of this week is Isaiah 29:11–14. Isaiah saw a sealed book, a learned man who says he can’t read it, and an unlearned man who is given the book. In 1828, Martin Harris took characters copied from the gold plates to Professor Charles Anthon in New York City. Martin explained that part of the plates was sealed. The professor answered that he couldn’t read a sealed book. You’ll find it in Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65. Joseph Smith, a young farmer with little schooling, translated the plates by the gift and power of God. Nephi explains this prophecy in 2 Nephi 27. Kids love a prophecy that “comes true,” and they already know how this one ends.

The big doctrine is the Restoration. After Jesus’s Apostles died, priesthood authority and many truths were lost. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ brought them back through Joseph Smith. That means the Book of Mormon, the priesthood, prophets, temples, and baptism with the gift of the Holy Ghost. Isaiah calls it “a marvellous work and a wonder.” The kids who’ve been baptized already hold some of these restored treasures.

Isaiah 25 and 35 add hope. Jesus is a shelter from the storm and shade from the heat, in 25:4. He’ll swallow up death and wipe away tears, in 25:8. And He makes the desert bloom, in 35:1. Maybe a child has a sick pet, a hard school day, or a mistake. Whatever feels broken, Jesus can help make it new.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Isaiah 29:11–14 and Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65. Tape a Book of Mormon inside a shoebox and write SEALED on it. Tell the story from Teach Mode. Say the key verse with motions, hunt for the seven treasures, and close with your testimony. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Your own scriptures become the sealed book.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Isaiah 29:11–14 and Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65.
  2. Put the Book of Mormon in the box. Tape it shut with lots of tape and write SEALED in big letters.

If your class is wild

  • Hold the sealed box while you tell the story. Kids will watch it the whole time, waiting for it to open.
  • Make your wiggliest kid the Box Keeper. Holding the treasure keeps them still and proud.
  • Use the sealed box as a reward: “Whoever’s sitting ready gets to hide it next.”
  • In the treasure hunt, the clapping does the talking. If it gets too loud, switch to finger snaps.
  • If energy spikes mid-story, have everyone turn the key and whisper, “Click! Sealed!” Then read the next scene softly.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

The Sealed Box

3 min

Suspense grabs attention right away.

  1. SAY“There’s a real treasure in this box. Who can guess what it is… without opening it?”
  2. Let two or three kids who are sitting ready shake it and guess. Ask, “Why can’t you just open it?” It’s sealed!
  3. SAY“Isaiah wrote about a sealed book twenty-seven hundred years ago. And it really happened!”
🌪️ Only kids sitting criss-cross get to shake the box. It works like magic.

Class screen: 📦 Can you read a SEALED book? · 🔒 What’s inside?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A shoebox or small box, tape, and a marker, A copy of the Book of Mormon

The Sealed Scriptures

  1. SAY“I sealed my scriptures shut. Who can guess what’s inside… without opening them?”
  2. Hold them closed with both hands. Let two or three kids who are sitting ready knock on the cover and guess.
  3. Ask, “Why can’t you just read it?” It’s sealed!
  4. SAY“Isaiah wrote about a sealed book twenty-seven hundred years ago. And it really happened!”

Class screen: 📕 Can you read a SEALED book? · 🔒 What’s inside?

2. Story

Story: The Book Nobody Could Read

7 min

A true story shows Isaiah’s prophecy coming true, and the class joins in from their seats.

  1. SAY“This is a true story. When you see a key on the screen, turn a pretend key with me and say, ‘Click! Sealed!’”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. Read each scene. Do the key turn or the sparkle fingers only when they show up.
  3. At scene 5, say the professor’s words together, nice and slow: “I cannot read a sealed book!”
  4. After scene 7, the Box Keeper opens the box and holds up the Book of Mormon. Ask who translated it, and how. Joseph Smith, by God’s power!
🌪️ If the room drifts, stop and shake the sealed box. Then whisper the next scene.

Class screen: 📖 The Book Nobody Could Read · 🔒 Click! Sealed! · ✨ Marvelous!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A shoebox or small box, tape, and a marker, A copy of the Book of Mormon

  1. SAY“This is a true story. When you see a key on the screen, turn a pretend key with me and say, ‘Click! Sealed!’”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. Read each scene. Do the key turn or the sparkle fingers only when they show up.
  3. At scene 5, say the professor’s words together, nice and slow: “I cannot read a sealed book!”
  4. After scene 7, hold up your Book of Mormon or open it in Gospel Library. Ask who translated it, and how. Joseph Smith, by God’s power!
3. Scripture

Key Verse: Isaiah 29:14

4 min

Motions help active kids memorize Isaiah’s name for the Restoration.

  1. SAY“Isaiah had a name for all this. He called it a marvelous work and a wonder.”
  2. Show the verse on your phone or tablet and read it slowly.
  3. SAY“‘Proceed’ means go ahead and do it. ‘Marvellous’ is just an old way to spell marvelous.”
  4. Teach the motions one phrase at a time. Say it three ways: normal voice, whisper voice, then robot voice.
  5. Ask, “What was the marvelous work Isaiah saw?” Listen for the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel.

Class screen: ✨ A marvelous work and a wonder!

4. Game

Find the Seven Treasures

7 min

A hot-and-cold hunt practices the big idea: Heavenly Father brought back His lost treasures through Joseph Smith.

  1. SAY“After Jesus’s Apostles died, some of God’s treasures were lost. Heavenly Father brought them back through Joseph Smith. Let’s find all seven!”
  2. A finder covers their eyes. A hider tucks the sealed box somewhere in the room and sits down. Then the finder hunts.
  3. Everyone claps softly when the finder is far away and louder as they get close. No talking!
  4. The finder picks a treasure from the screen and tells why it matters. Switch finder and hider until all seven are named.
  5. SAY“Heavenly Father brought back every one. Baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost are treasures you can have too!”
🌪️ Finders walk, never run. A runner goes back to their seat and counts to five before hunting again.

Class screen: 🗝️ Find the 7 lost treasures! · 📖 The Book of Mormon · 🗝️ Priesthood power · 🧔 A living prophet · 🏛️ Temples · 💧 Baptism with God’s authority · 🕊️ The gift of the Holy Ghost · ⛪ Jesus Christ’s name on His Church

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A shoebox or small box, tape, and a marker

  1. SAY“After Jesus’s Apostles died, some of God’s treasures were lost. Heavenly Father brought them back through Joseph Smith. Let’s find all seven!”
  2. A finder covers their eyes. A hider tucks your scriptures or a shoe somewhere in the room and sits down.
  3. The finder hunts. Everyone claps softly when they’re far away and louder as they get close. No talking!
  4. The finder picks a treasure from the screen and tells why it matters. Switch finder and hider until all seven are named.
  5. SAY“Heavenly Father brought back every one. Baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost are treasures you can have too!”
5. Testimony

Testimony & Wonder Hunt

3 min

End quiet and reverent, with something to do at home.

  1. SAY“Let’s get as quiet as a sealed book.”
  2. Wait until the room is still. Then share a sentence or two about how you know the Book of Mormon is true.
  3. SAY“Isaiah also promised the desert would bloom. When something feels dry or broken, Jesus can help it bloom again. Even a sad day.”
  4. Show the Wonder Hunt challenge on the screen. Then ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🔎 This week: go on a Wonder Hunt! · Find 3 marvelous things God did · Tell your family at dinner

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Sealed Book Edition

4 minBONUS

A quick Heads Up–style review of today’s story and big idea.

  1. SAY“Let’s see what you remember! Give clues, but don’t say the word.”
  2. Tap Forehead Guess.
  3. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class. Everyone else gives clues from their seats.
  4. Tilt down for “got it” and up to pass. Each turn is 45 seconds. Then pass your phone or tablet to the next kid.
🌪️ Go around the room one clue at a time. That way nobody shouts over anybody.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues, don’t say the word!

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. SAY“Team Sealed Book versus Team Marvelous!”
  2. Split the class in two and tap Scripture Showdown.
  3. Read each question out loud. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer.
  4. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

The story

The Book Nobody Could Read

Isaiah 29:11–14; Joseph Smith—History 1:59–65 ↗

Optional helpers

  • Box KeeperHolds the sealed box on their lap and opens it after the last scene.
  • Sound HelperSits next to you and taps each scene’s sound on your phone or tablet.

Scenes

  1. 🧔📜 Isaiah sees a sealed book

    About twenty-seven hundred years ago, the Lord showed the prophet Isaiah something amazing. It was a book. A book sealed shut! Isaiah wrote it down, so people would know it when it really happened.

    🙌 Turn a pretend key: “Click! Sealed!”

  2. 👼⛰️ An angel and a hill

    Thousands of years later, an angel named Moroni came to a young man named Joseph Smith. He showed Joseph gold plates buried in a hill. Part of the plates was sealed. Joseph was told not to open that part.

    🙌

  3. ✍️🐴 Martin takes the characters to New York

    Joseph copied some of the strange characters onto paper. His friend Martin Harris was a farmer. Martin carried that paper all the way to New York City. He wanted to show it to a smart professor.

    🙌

  4. 🎓📄 The professor tears up his note

    Professor Charles Anthon studied the characters. He wrote a note saying they looked real. Then Martin said an angel had shown Joseph the plates. The professor took his note back and tore it up! He said there were no angels anymore.

    🙌

  5. 🔒📖 “I cannot read a sealed book!”

    The professor said, “Bring me the plates and I will translate them.” Martin said he couldn’t. Part of the plates was sealed. Then the professor said almost the very words Isaiah wrote: “I cannot read a sealed book.”

    🙌 Turn the key: “Click! Sealed!” Then: “I cannot read a sealed book!”

  6. 👦🙏✨ A farm boy translates it

    Isaiah said the book would go to someone “not learned.” That was Joseph. He’d had very little schooling. But he translated the plates by the gift and power of God. Emma and others wrote down the words.

    🙌

  7. 📘🌍 A marvelous work and a wonder!

    In eighteen thirty, the Book of Mormon was printed. Today people read it all over the world, in many languages. Isaiah called it “a marvellous work and a wonder,” and it happened just as he said.

    🙌 Wiggle sparkle fingers: “Marvelous!”

Key verse

Isaiah 29:14 ↗
“I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder”
In kid words: God said, “I am going to do something amazing and wonderful for My people.”
🙌 “I will proceed” = march in place · “a marvellous work” = pound fist on palm like a hammer · “among this people” = point around the room · “and a wonder” = hands burst open like fireworks: “Wow!”

More verses

Isaiah 29:11 ↗
“the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed”
In kid words: People would give a sealed book to a smart man, and he would say, “I can’t read it. It’s sealed!”
Isaiah 35:1 ↗
“the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose”
In kid words: Even a dry desert will be happy and burst into flowers.
Isaiah 25:4 ↗
“a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat”
In kid words: Jesus is like a safe shelter in a storm and cool shade on a hot day.
Isaiah 25:8 ↗
“the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces”
In kid words: Someday the Lord will wipe away every tear.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧔 Isaiah
  • 👦 Joseph Smith
  • 🧑‍🌾 Martin Harris
  • 👼 Angel Moroni
  • 📙 Gold Plates
  • 🔒 Sealed Book
  • 🎓 Professor
  • ✍️ Emma Smith
  • 🏜️ Desert
  • 🌹 Rose
  • 🦌 Deer
  • ⛈️ Storm
  • 📘 Book of Mormon
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🗝️ Priesthood
  • 💧 Baptism
  • 🕊️ Holy Ghost
  • 😢 Tears
Clues for each word
  • Isaiah: Prophet who wrote about the sealed book
  • Joseph Smith: Translated the gold plates by God’s power
  • Martin Harris: Carried the characters to New York City
  • Angel Moroni: Showed Joseph where the plates were buried
  • Gold Plates: Heavy metal pages covered in writing
  • Sealed Book: You can’t read it. It’s locked shut!
  • Professor: A super smart teacher at a college
  • Emma Smith: Joseph’s wife, who wrote while he translated
  • Desert: Hot, dry and sandy
  • Rose: Isaiah said the desert would bloom like this flower
  • Deer: Isaiah said the lame man would leap like one
  • Storm: Jesus is a shelter from it
  • Book of Mormon: Another testament of Jesus Christ
  • Temple: The house of the Lord
  • Priesthood: God’s power and authority
  • Baptism: You go all the way under the water
  • Holy Ghost: A gift you receive after you’re baptized
  • Tears: The Lord will wipe them all away
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Which prophet wrote about a book that was sealed?
    • A. Isaiah
    • B. Moses
    • C. Jonah
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Isaiah Isaiah wrote it about 2,700 years before it happened!

  2. What was the Book of Mormon first written on?
    • A. Clay tablets
    • B. Paper
    • C. Gold plates
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Gold plates The words were engraved on thin metal plates that looked like gold.

  3. Who took the copied characters to a professor in New York?
    • A. Joseph Smith
    • B. Martin Harris
    • C. Moroni
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Martin Harris Martin Harris, a farmer and friend of Joseph, made the long trip.

  4. What did the professor say when he heard part was sealed?
    • A. “I cannot read a sealed book.”
    • B. “Let’s get pizza.”
    • C. “I already have that book.”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “I cannot read a sealed book.” Almost the exact words Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 29:11!

  5. Who did Isaiah say would be given the book?
    • A. A king
    • B. The smartest man in the world
    • C. Someone who was not learned
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Someone who was not learned Joseph Smith had little schooling. He translated by the gift and power of God.

  6. Isaiah said the desert would blossom like a…
    • A. Cactus
    • B. Rose
    • C. Pine tree
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Rose Isaiah 35:1: “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.”

  7. Isaiah said the Lord will wipe away…
    • A. Mud from our shoes
    • B. The ocean
    • C. Tears from all faces
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Tears from all faces Isaiah 25:8. Because of Jesus, every sad tear will be gone someday.

  8. What does “restore” mean?
    • A. To bring back something that was lost
    • B. To take a nap
    • C. To go shopping
    Show answer

    ✅ A. To bring back something that was lost Heavenly Father brought back His Church, priesthood and scriptures through Joseph Smith.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • The Golden Plates Children’s Songbook, p. 86

    Sing it right after the story. Find it ↗

  • On a Golden Springtime Children’s Songbook, p. 88

    Isaiah said the Lord would swallow up death in victory (Isaiah 25:8). Jesus rose again! Find it ↗

  • Search, Ponder, and Pray Children’s Songbook, p. 109

    How we can know the Book of Mormon is true. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Wonder Hunt

Find three “marvelous works” Heavenly Father did for you this week. Maybe an answered prayer, something beautiful outside, or someone’s kindness. Tell your family about them at dinner.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned about a sealed book. Isaiah wrote about it 2,700 years before it happened. It came true when a professor told Martin Harris, “I cannot read a sealed book.” Then we hunted for 7 treasures Heavenly Father restored through Joseph Smith. Ask your child which treasure they think is the most amazing, and why.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🥤 Line upon Line Cup Tower · 5 min

  1. Read Isaiah 28:10: “line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
  2. Kids take turns adding a cup to a tower. With each cup, name something we learn little by little, like praying or being kind.
  3. SAY“Heavenly Father teaches us one line at a time. We don’t have to know everything at once.”

⛈️ Shelter from the Storm · 4 min

  1. Make a storm together. Rub hands for wind, snap for rain, pat legs for heavy rain, and stomp for thunder.
  2. One child holds a blanket or umbrella over the others while the storm rages.
  3. Read Isaiah 25:4. Ask, “How is Jesus like a shelter when life feels stormy?”

🧱 Sure Foundation Challenge · 4 min

  1. Try building a small tower of blocks or books on a squishy pillow. Then try it on the hard floor.
  2. Read Isaiah 28:16. Point out that Jesus is the “sure foundation.”
  3. Ask, “What happens when we build our lives on Jesus?”

🌵 Desert to Garden · 2 min

  1. SAY“Isaiah said the desert would bloom!”
  2. Everyone curls up small like a dry seed in the hot desert.
  3. Make rain by patting your legs softly, then faster. Kids slowly grow into tall flowers.
  4. SAY“Isaiah said the lame man would leap like a deer!”
  5. Everyone does three deer leaps in place. Then freeze like a statue flower.

🌼 Blooming Paper Flowers · 5 min

  1. Before class, cut a paper flower for each child, about 4 inches across with 5 to 8 petals. Bring a bowl of water on a tray.
  2. Each child draws something they want Jesus’s help with in the middle. Then they fold the petals tightly closed.
  3. Count down together and set the flowers on the water. Watch the petals open!
  4. SAY“Isaiah said the desert would blossom as the rose. Jesus can open up hearts, heal what’s broken, and help us bloom again.”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Valiant 7–8 lessons