Have you ever seen a dove? It is a small, beautiful bird.  Many of them are white and they fly through the air so gracefully. You can find doves in all parts of the world except the very hottest places, like the dessert, or the very coldest places, like the Antarctic. They eat seeds, fruits, and plants. They build nests and teach their babies how to fly.

In the Bible, doves are talked about a lot. When Noah and his family were in the ark after the flood and waiting for the water to go down enough for them to get out of the ark, he sent a dove out of the ark. The first time he let a dove fly away, it came right back because there was still water everywhere. The second time he let a dove fly away, it came back with a branch in its mouth. The third time he let a dove fly away, it didn’t come back because it found land and food and could build a nest in the tree. That’s when Noah knew everything was at peace and he and his family could come out of the ark.

The Bible also talks about the dove being close by when Jesus was baptized. The dove is a symbol of peace in the Bible. It is a soft, gentle bird and a very good symbol of peace.