Stone

A natural material whose substance remains what it is regardless of how it is shaped or how fine it is ground. In the biblical symbol-system, stone represents truth as it is found in reality — unmanufactured, carrying its own integrity. The altar of uncut stone, the tablets of the commandments, Christ as the foundation stone — the same substance at different scales and purposes. The everyday word is lithos — a stone that can be set, built with, or rejected (living stones, 1 Peter 2:5; the stone the builders rejected, Psalm 118:22). Petra is bedrock — the immovable foundation a house is built on (Matthew 7:24-25). Same substance, different scale.

Synonyms: rock, petra, lithos, foundation, boulder, gravel.

See also: Sand, Brick, Mortar