"No," replied the girl.  If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous."

"No, no." said the snake.  "If you help me, you will be my best friend, I will treat you differently."

The little girl sat down on a rock for a moment to rest and think things over.  She looked at the beautiful markings on the snake and had to admit that it was the most beautiful snake she had ever seen.

Suddenly, she said, "I believe you.  I will save you.  All living things deserve to be treated with kindness."

The little girl reached over, put the snake gently under her coat and proceeded toward her grandmother's house.  Within a moment, she felt a sharp pain in her side.  The snake had bitten her.

"How could you do this to me?"  She cried.  "You promised that you would not bite me if I would protect you from the bitter cold."

The snake hissed, "You knew what I was when you picked me up," and slithered away.

• Print out a picture of a snake with the words: "Do you know what you're holding?"
• Cut out circles, and have the class participants cut out a spiral from the circles. The spiral can represent the snake in the story by taking one end of the spiral and holding it up to unfold the "snake".  You can also tie in that as we give in to temptations a little at a time, we "spiral" down to a point that it is difficult (but possible) to return from.  Then, have them hold up the spiral from one end and ask them what they are holding. A snake.

“You are free to choose exactly what you want to do, as long as it does not restrict or impose on the rights and liberties of others, but you must be responsible for your acts and prepared to take the consequences.”
N. Eldon Tanner

"The challenge to each one of us, a challenge we came to the earth to experience, is to choose between good and evil. Many traditions in our society lead us to sin, while others lead us to righteous conduct. If we place ourselves on the side of righteous traditions and if we allow them to have an influence in our lives, we can be strengthened in our testimonies and in our receptivity to the Spirit. If, however, we give ourselves over to the wicked influence of evil traditions, we make it more difficult for the Spirit to find a place in our hearts."

James T. Duke

"Lucifer in his diabolical scheming deceives the unwary and uses every tool at his command.... He will use his [1] logic to confuse and his [2] rationalizations to destroy. He will [3] shade meanings, [4] open doors an inch at a time, and [5] lead from purest white through all the shades of gray to the darkest black."
- Spencer W. Kimball

"Now, the adversary knows that a little sin will not stay little, and he welcomes any and all into his kingdom by first trying to get us to lie a little, then helping us to try to justify ourselves in so doing or to cheat or to steal. Some folks are indeed induced to desecrate the Sabbath-day until it becomes habitual with them. Some people begin with the use of liquor just to 'relax a bit.' Also, drug abuse, evil speaking, disobedience to parents, or deceiving one's own companions – these are means he has of getting us to digress from the proper course. He knows full well that, if continued, such diversions soon result in regrets, sorrows, and losses, because they lead us into greater sinfulness.

"No doubt one of the most infamous snares set out by the adversary is that of unchastity."
ElRay L. Christiansen

"When you are overtaken in a fault, or commit an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your tabernacles, take the lead. If you do that, I will promise that you will overcome all evil, and obtain eternal lives."
Brigham Young

• Object Lesson: You put a pencil on the table and as you push the pencil tip closer to the edge you talk about all the temptations that girls might give in to (dating before 16, single dating, kissing too much or too early before you know the boy, etc...) Then when the pencil finally fell, I said, you might think you would never go THAT far or "that could never happen to me" but if you get close to the edge - you never know when you'll fall. Stay far away from the edge and you'll be safe. Follow the prophet's counsel - and the pamphlet For the Strength of the Youth, etc...
• You can also do the same object lesson using a Jenga game.  As the girls play, they pull out a stick and say out loud a temptation.  When the tower finally falls, continue with the object lesson as used above.  This could be a good mid-week activity idea.
• "Choose the Right" Hymns p.
• "Dare to Do Right" Children's Songbook p. 158