Messages App won't load

So I kind of broke my messages app. I tried to paste a large amount of text in a conversation (something I've done numerous times before with little to no permanent issue) but the text wouldn't even finish pasting before the app crashed, whereas previously it would just lag when trying to work with the large files. Every time I attempt to access the app itself, it remains blank as if loading for some amount of time (around 10-30 seconds) before crashing. I've tried closing the application, accessing it from the tray, clearing my phone's RAM (using the home button method), rebooting my phone, and even putting it through a deep power cycle (yes I know it's not recommended), none of which worked. I still receive messages, and can reply through Siri or from Notification Center, but can't access the app itself. I'm not sure if it's the conversation itself causing an issue. I plan on doing a factory reset and then loading a backup, but I'd prefer not to if I don't have to. If there's a way to delete one particular conversation from outside the application, or any other resolution, I'd really appreciate it.