  We explore the classical Lech's inequality relating the Hilbert--Samuel
multiplicity and colength of an $\mathfrak{m}$-primary ideal in a Noetherian
local ring $(R,\mathfrak{m})$. We prove optimal versions of Lech's inequality
for sufficiently deep ideals in characteristic $p>0$, and we conjecture that
they hold in all characteristics.
  Our main technical result shows that if $(R,\mathfrak{m})$ has characteristic
$p>0$ and $\widehat{R}$ is reduced, equidimensional, and has an isolated
singularity, then for any sufficiently deep $\mathfrak{m}$-primary ideal $I$,
the colength and Hilbert--Kunz multiplicity of $I$ are sufficiently close to
each other. More precisely, for all $\varepsilon>0$, there exists $N\gg0$ such
that for any $I\subseteq R$ with $l(R/I)>N$, we have $(1-\varepsilon)l(R/I)\leq
e_{HK}(I)\leq(1+\varepsilon)l(R/I)$.
