The symbolism of the Luther rose goes back to the 1520s. Luther explained that the red heart with the black cross at the center should remind us that the righteous live by faith in Christ the Crucified. The heart rests on a white rose to show that faith gives joy, comfort and peace. The rose is white, not red, because white is the color of heavenly spirits and angels. The white rose stands in a field of blue, the color of heaven, to show that joy in the spirit and in faith in this life is only the beginning of future heavenly joy. Surrounding the sky-blue field is a gold ring to show that happiness and joy in heaven has no end but lasts forever, just as gold is the highest, most noble and precious metal.The Luther Rose has long been a symbol of our faith. Putting it on the shell of the turtle represents the life of the church. It is the symbol that conveys our faith to those outside the church. At times,, the church has the tendency to withdraw within our shell to care for itself, but our calling is to carry this message to the world. Because the shell is a living part of the animal's skeleton-fused directly to its rib cage and spine -it cannot be removed or outgrown. The shell expands, thickens, and hardens as the turtle ages. In the same way, so does our faith. The turtle is always on the move, but is not the fastest creature either. Steadily, it carries the message of the cross everywhere it goes.