It’s hard to remember a time when Miley Cyrus wasn’t gyrating her butt for the world to see in many a YouTube video. But just a few years ago, she was one of the Disney stars known for her purity ring. She, along with the likes of Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers, shared their vow to stay a virgin until marriage with the public. Though they have since shed their rings and seemingly abandoned their promise, many young people are still choosing to save their virginity for their spouses.

I recently spoke to a couple, Bri and Logan, who have been together for 3 years and are hoping to get married next year. Despite their certainty that they have found a lasting love, they have decided to wait until marriage to have sex. So why are they, like 3% of Americans, delaying the inevitable until they get those wedding rings on their fingers?

Purity Ring
Unlike the aforementioned Disney stars, Bri has kept her purity ring on her left ring finger. She sees it not as a constraint, but as a promise. A promise to God to save herself for the man she marries. She says that her ring is a commitment to “abstain from sex until I am married. And more so than that, treat my body with respect and in remembrance that God created me and to show respect for that.”

Religion
As devout Christians, Bri and Logan believe that God created sex to be share between husband and wife. To show respect for all God has given them, they save themselves for Him. As Bri puts it, “We believe that God created us and has an unconditional love for us and to show gratitude for what He has done we want to follow His words. That means that we wait for sex till marriage.”

Intimacy
Sex is the most intimate thing you can do with another person. So, they reason, why would they want to do it with someone they aren’t completely committed to? By waiting until marriage, they are ensuring that the person they lose their virginities to loves them and is there for them in the long run. It is much easier for a man to leave a random woman he picked up at a bar than the woman he promised to spend the rest of his life with. It Is Hard (No Pun Intended) to Wait Both Bri and Logan stressed that their decision to save sex for marriage was a difficult one. They both have strong urges but, unlike many, aren’t willing to give into them. They are steadfast in their desire to wait and are not going to stray from their beliefs. The couple believe that their “will power and the power of God is stronger” than their urges and are holding onto this until Bri can trade in her purity ring for a diamond one.