re = /(?:፻|(?<!፻|^)\G)(?=.*፻)([^\S\n]*)([^\s፻]+)(?:([^\S\n]*)፻)?/m
str = '፻this test works፻
፻this test will now work፻
፻simple፻
this is an ፻ extra far more challenging ፻ case with more ፻ than just one match ፻ and even some ፻interleaved whitespace፻, behold!'
subst = '$1፻$2$3'
result = str.gsub(re, subst)
# Print the result of the substitution
puts result
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for Ruby, please visit: http://ruby-doc.org/core-2.2.0/Regexp.html