Today I was able to go inside a granite and marble fabrication company. It was fascinating. This company takes huge slabs of rough stone quarried from all parts of the world and turns them into beautiful pieces for homes. You may have never realized how varied and gorgeous stone can be. I suppose I knew it just from taking hikes on the Appalachian Trail and seeing the differences in the rocks jutting up from the soil. But it really is amazing to see row after row of slab after slab of various granites and marbles. There are different colors and shades and combinations, different veins and crystal sizes and sheens.

It was amazing to think how long ago these slabs of stone were created before they made their way to this warehouse awaiting a customer to say, "I want that one." I know that quarrying stone for building is at least as old as Stone Henge and the Giza Pyramids, but still, it is amazing to think that people excavate deep into the earth to pull up these hidden beauties. I don't know how much guess work there is in finding these rocks. They are surely not as dramatically beautiful when they are first quarried, all rough and initially hewn. But someone knew that these stones were of value because of their strength and beauty, even if that beauty was not yet visible.

I got to go into the portion of the warehouse where they cut the slabs to the dimensions needed for kitchen counters, backsplashes, and door sills. These slabs are placed on huge machines that cut through the stone with diamond-toothed blades. Both the cutting table and the polishing equipment were huge and used water to polish, keep the blade cool, and keep the dust under control. So the room where all this was done was cool and had water running all over the floor.

I was impressed with the staff in this place. There were men of all races and ages and sizes and styles. Although I know there is a woman who works the sales in the front, there were no women working in the back. It seems to me it would be a cool job. You would definitely get a work out because those stones are so heavy. Even relatively small slabs need several men to carry. I'm sure they use lifting equipment for some of it.

But here's the problem or perhaps the risk of these heavy stones. Once the strong, ancient stones are carved into relatively thin slabs and polished and shaped and beveled, the stone become more and more fragile. The weight of the stone, which is what make it so durable and desirable, is also the aspect of it that can cause it to snap, ruining the piece. Sometimes the break can be repaired, glued and polished and reinforced. This can be pulled off easier with marble than with granite because of the veining. Often times, however, the break is irreparable. Because of the custom ordering, the slab is ruined, useless.

So in its natural state, it is buried, its beauty hidden, its strength untapped. To make it useful, the stone has to come in contact with many people across the world. The refining process is cumbersome, but the beauty and durability of the finished product is worth the effort. However, if refined too much, if the slab is cut too thin, if the lifting isn't handled precisely, the very aspects that cause it to be valuable cause it to be ruined.

If you are the stone, which phase are you in?