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Scripture Story Sketch Notes · 1 Peter 2

Lively
Stones

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.” 1 Peter 2:5

Peter wrote to Saints facing hard times. He told them that Jesus is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen of God, and that every believer is a stone He builds into His house.

See the house ↓ Read 1 Peter 2:1–10 first
Hand-drawn doodle map of a winding path: a mother feeding a baby from a small cup, Jesus beside a large shining stone as builders walk away, people carrying stones to build a house, builders setting a corner stone, a crowd of people with small gold crowns, people walking out of gray darkness into light, Jesus carrying a wooden cross, and Jesus as a shepherd carrying a lamb home.

Before you begin

The story in brief

Peter told the Saints to “desire the sincere milk of the word” like newborn babies. Jesus, he wrote, is “a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,” and believers are “lively stones” being “built up a spiritual house.” Quoting Isaiah, he called Jesus “a chief corner stone,” and “the stone which the builders disallowed.”

“Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people,” called “out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Christ “bare our sins in his own body on the tree,” and “by whose stripes ye were healed.” Once “as sheep going astray,” they had “returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

Who’s who

  • Peter: the senior Apostle
  • The Saints: scattered believers facing hard times
  • Jesus Christ: the living stone and the Shepherd

Where and when

A letter to believers scattered across Asia Minor.

Watch for the Savior

Watch for every building word Peter uses about Jesus and about us.

Read it yourself: 1 Peter 2:1–10, 21–25

Part 1 of 7

The house, mapped

Eight stops from milk for newborns to the Shepherd of our souls. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.

    Part 2 of 7

    The story, plainly

    Four scenes: building, a rejected stone, out of the dark, and the fold. Look for the Savior in each one.

    Read it plainly

    The words that trip people up

    Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1

    1. 1 Peter 2:1“all ”
    2. 1 Peter 2:2“the milk of the word”
    3. 1 Peter 2:4“ indeed of men”
    4. 1 Peter 2:6“shall not be ”
    5. 1 Peter 2:9“a people”
    6. 1 Peter 2:25“the Shepherd and of your souls”

    Part 3 of 7

    Look closer

    Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders or Church resources. Each card says which.

    0 of 9 turned

    Part 4 of 7

    Where are you?

    Feeling left out, being shaped, finding my place, or shining out. Which feels most like you right now?

    Try it

    Who is the stone?

    Peter uses building words for Jesus and for us. Tap a phrase on the left, then find who or what it describes on the right.

    1 Peter 2:4–10, 25

    Part 5 of 7

    Their world, their words

    A little background helps us see who Peter wrote to and why he chose building words. Outside sources are labeled.

    Church resource · Seminary manual

    Hard times

    “Peter wrote his epistle during a time of severe persecution and apostasy.”8

    He wrote to strengthen them.

    Scripture · Isaiah 28

    An old promise

    Peter quotes Isaiah: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.”3

    Promised centuries before.

    Church leader · Elder Russell M. Nelson

    Peculiar people

    The Greek word behind peculiar “means ‘possession,’ or ‘an obtaining.’”5

    God’s own treasure.

    Church resource · Student manual

    By His stripes

    Peter used “the word which means ‘bruise’ or the ‘bloody welt which results from lashing with a whip.’”7

    A Roman scourging.

    Word study · Greek

    zaō ζάω · “living,” “lively” (1 Peter 2:4–5)

    Bible Hub: “to live.”9 Outside · lexicon

    Peter uses the same word for both: Jesus the living stone, and us the lively stones.1

    Word study · Greek

    lithos λίθος · “stone” (1 Peter 2:4–8)

    Bible Hub: “a stone.”10 Outside · lexicon

    The ordinary word for stone, including the stones builders used.1

    What the text does not say

    Peter doesn’t say any stone builds the house alone, or holds itself up. Every stone rests on the chief corner stone, and “he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”1

    Part 6 of 7

    Look to Him

    He is the living stone, the chief corner stone and the Shepherd who brings us home.

    “For us to be identified by servants of the Lord as his peculiar people is a compliment of the highest order.”

    Elder Russell M. Nelson5
    “Absolutely basic to our faith is our testimony of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.”
    President Gordon B. Hinckley6
    “As we endure undeserved suffering, we develop Christlike attributes that perfect our souls and bring us closer to Him.”
    Elder Alexander B. Morrison, quoted in the student manual7
    “We have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood and the everlasting gospel.”
    Elder Russell M. Nelson5

    Isaiah

    A sure foundation

    “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.” Isaiah 28:16

    Jesus

    The head of the corner

    “The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” Matthew 21:42

    Part 7 of 7

    Seek Him today

    A question to ask in prayer

    Where does Heavenly Father want me to fit in His house right now? 1 Peter 2:5

    Ask Him where He needs you, and how to rest your life more fully on Jesus, the chief corner stone.

    Try it today

    One stone each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.

    0 of 7 today

    This week:0 of 7 days

    A quiet moment

    “A living stone.”

    Read 1 Peter 2:4–7 slowly. Picture Jesus as the cornerstone and yourself as one stone resting on Him. What does it feel like to be held up? 1 Peter 2:4–7

    A verse to hold

    Talk about it

    1. Who is the living stone?
    2. What are we, according to Peter?
    3. Why is the cornerstone so important to a building?
    4. What does a shepherd do for sheep that wander?
    Open

    For adults and deeper study

    Go deeper

    Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
    Apostle

    Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Children of the Covenant” (1995)

    Who we are as God’s covenant people, and what “peculiar” really means.5

    Read the talk →
    Church resource

    New Testament Student Manual: 1 Peter and 2 Peter

    The living stone, the chief cornerstone, a royal priesthood, and Christ’s stripes.7

    Read the chapter →
    Church resource

    New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual: 1 Peter 2–3

    Being a peculiar people and ready to share the hope we have in Jesus Christ.8

    Read the lesson →
    To ponder

    Harder questions

    • Why would Peter call Jesus a “living” stone?
    • What spiritual sacrifices can you offer as one of His stones?
    • How does knowing you are God’s treasure change how you act?

    Sources

    Every quotation, gloss, and piece of background on this page is listed here: scripture first, then Church sources, then outside scholarship (labeled).

    Scripture

    1. 1 Peter 2: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.”
    2. 1 Peter 5:4: “When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
    3. Isaiah 28:16: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.”
    4. Matthew 21:42: “The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.”

    Church leaders and Church resources

    1. Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Children of the Covenant”, general conference, April 1995.
    2. President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Cornerstones of Our Faith”, general conference, October 1984.
    3. New Testament Student Manual, “1 Peter and 2 Peter”, Gospel Library (quoting Elder Alexander B. Morrison).
    4. New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual (2023), “1 Peter 2–3”, Gospel Library.

    Outside sources (labeled on the page)

    1. Strong’s 2198, zaō, Bible Hub lexicon.
    2. Strong’s 3037, lithos, Bible Hub lexicon.

    Quotations checked against the linked pages on October 11, 2026. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as published in the Gospel Library.

    “Elect, precious”

    Rest your life on Jesus Christ. He is the chief corner stone, and there is a place for you in His house. 1 Peter 2:6

    Back to this week: November 15–21 Earlier: The Ladder of Divine Nature Next story: Walk in the Light All New Testament Story Sketch Notes
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    Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The teachings are in 1 Peter 2; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.