About 60 Biola women made a trip to Huntington Beach Saturday for a Bible study led by Christina DiMari, author of “Ocean Star” and founder of Ocean Star Gifts.

Women volunteers from Christian Surfers helped out at the event. The national organization decided to mentor young Christian girl surfers using DiMari’s Bible study called “You’re Designed to Shine.”

To start the event, DiMari had each girl pick up a sea star and walk out to the water. She spoke about the sea star’s unique ability to regenerate broken-off limbs, using that as a metaphor for the healing she said each girl receives in Christ.

“God created us to be a whole starfish,” said DiMari, who suffered a great deal of brokenness throughout her own life.

DiMari, who grew up in Northern California, had a police officer with ties to the mafia for a father. Her mother, who never wanted to have kids of her own, ended up with five children and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Seeking refuge away from her family, DiMari ran to the beach, where she found another family among the surfing community.

Like all her friends, she said she was high all the time, ignored her homework and didn’t read a single book. DeMari credits her recovery to God, who she said redeemed her from that time of her life. It wasn’t until one of her friends committed suicide that she began to feel as if she had no hope of escaping the troubles in her life.

She sat down on the beach and asked herself what the point of living was. It was there that she said she encountered God.

“I heard this voice,” DiMari recalled. “’Don’t look down at the disappearing sun, but look up at the sky’s light.'”

She looked out into the horizon, only to be awed by the diversity of color that filled the sky. It was her first sign of hope.

After sharing her testimony, DiMari gave each girl a freshwater pearl from Hawaii to remind the girls of their great value in God’s eyes.

“I definitely loved the pearl part,” said sophomore Jenny Hatton. “There’s all this work that goes into making a pearl beautiful and that’s how God is working hard in us to make us beautiful.”

Afterward, the girls linked hands and prayed. DiMari had everyone close their eyes and imagine Jesus standing before them.

“What really touched me was when she asked us to imagine Jesus there before us,“ said sophomore Hannah Eliason. “It just really showed me how special I am to God and just how unique I am. Instead of just a piece of sand, I am a pearl.”