A little belatedly (but the sky isn’t dark here in Washington yet!), “Making Prayer Beads” is an essay from Lyssa Little Bear of the Apple Blossom Demos of Hellenion.
Some people start with a prayer they want to have beads to guide them through and some people make the beads and then design the prayer around the beads. Some people who want a set of prayer beads merely want a reminder of the deity to take with them and some just want to have something to run through their fingers as they pray. What do you want your prayer beads to do?