Il Shim is a Korean term, meaning ‘one heart’. True Parents used the expression to proclaim total unity between Heavenly Parent and True Parents. They emphasised the importance for blessed families, and especially blessed children, to inherit this unity. During an Il Shim ceremony, young people pledge to live a life of attendance, by loving Heavenly Parent and their own parents. They also pledge to keep their purity until the time they get blessed. It is a commitment to go through adolescence with a pure heart and, moreover, to make an active effort to grow into a wonderful child of Heavenly Parent, by learning to take full responsibility for one’s actions. 

We strongly believe that making this commitment is a gift, something that will bring happiness, and so we want to approach purity education as something joyful. The day of the ceremony is a special occasion, with cause for celebration. However, a one-day commitment to purity is not enough. A purity lifestyle has to be built and nurtured continuously. To create the habit of working on one’s purity on a daily basis, the Il Shim ceremony is preceded by an Il Shim preparation period and optimally, families or communities agree on some kind of an Il Shim follow up.

The suggested age to start studying about purity would be the start of puberty (10+ depending on the maturity of the child). The ceremony, however, should be held when both parents and child feel ready to make the commitment.