Reading the Stones: Finding Uprightness in the Pattern of Life

You’ve wrestled with the biggest questions. You’ve walked through the valley of the broken back, felt the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you’ve finally found the hand that lifted you. You are no longer the formerly-fat, formerly-broken man who stumbled in the dust. You are a man called to build. A man who knows that every life, every vocation, every piece of stone, has a pattern to it.

We talk a lot about the sheer physical labor of the quarry vocation—the sweat, the muscle, the sheer grit required to hew a gift out of the raw rock. We talk about the Mighty Smiter Kit and the process of becoming a true rock smiter. But sometimes, the hardest work isn't with the chisel; it's with your perception.

It's about noticing the pattern. It's about recognizing the vertical when everything around you is horizontal. It’s about the difference between a random scattering of rubble and a deliberate, upright design.

The Pattern of Uprightness

When you are in a place—whether it’s a sacred corner of Moab red rock, a bustling Wellington Utah quarry, or a quiet path in Scotland—you are always looking for the foundation. You are looking for the keystone. You are looking for the structure that tells you, "This is right. This is true."

The masterclass weekend doesn't just give you tools; it gives you eyes. It trains you to see the difference between a stumbling block and a foundation stone. It teaches you to recognize the architecture of the Divine.

Imagine walking through a path, and suddenly, the stones aren't laid flat and haphazardly. They are stacked. They are upright. They are vertical. They stand as a silent, unmistakable declaration. Who laid them? Why are they laid that way?

This isn't just about masonry; it's about the spiritual uprightness we are called to achieve. It’s the difference between living a life defined by what broke you, and living a life defined by the structure you are building—the man you are becoming through the Game of Stones.

Seeing the Vertical Call

For the man who has felt God's hand and is ready to do hard things on purpose, this observation is critical. The world often presents itself as a mess of horizontal struggle—the daily grind, the broken promises, the weight of sin. But the Divine design? The Divine design is often upright. It is directional. It is a path back to liberty.

"The vertical stones are a signpost. They are a declaration that the path leads upward, toward the Father, toward the Title of Liberty, toward the strength of fatherhood."

The call to smite, to build, to walk free, is to maintain that upright vision. It means that when life feels like a confusing pile of rubble, you are trained to look for the pattern, the intentionality, the sacred structure.

From Rubble to Foundation

Every man starts in the rubble. That's where the transformation begins. You must acknowledge the brokenness—the literal and spiritual stones that scattered you. You must recognize the need for a solid, unshakable foundation stone. The rock smiter doesn't ignore the rubble; he uses it. He sees the potential in the waste.

The journey from the formerly defeated man to the man who can handle the altar stones and the keystones requires this deep, attentive observation. It requires the discipline to stop, to look, and to ask: *Why is this laid this way?* The answer is almost always: Because it matters. Because it is purposeful.

Whether you are polishing a precious gemstone, working on the plates of Nephi doctrine, or preparing for the Father-Son Rock Smiter Induction Ceremony, remember that every single action is building verticality. It is lifting yourself up, up, toward the light. It is the deepest work of men's transformation.