Reflections on Sharpening a Knife

I got to practice sharpening
my knives with this set. 

At a recent church youth activity I invited a proprietor of bladeops.com to teach our young group about knives. He showed different kinds of knives – fixed blade knives, folding knives with different locking mechanism, and out-the-front knives. He taught us about different types of blades and types of steel. Then he showed us different methods and tools for sharpening knives. Lastly, we got to practice sharpening our own knives.

At the end of every activity we try to have a reflection – an opportunity to ponder and try to find gospel and life lessons in whatever activity we have had. The youth, many of whom recently turned 11 years old, had some pretty awesome reflections. I want to convey one of them.

One of the youngest boys said something along these lines. “Just as we can’t expect to sharpen a knife with a fine git stone in a single pass, we can’t expect to instantly become like Jesus. We must start with a course grit, and then move to a medium grit, and then to fine and extra fine, doing lots of strokes with each. It takes practice and time.”

I loved the reflection. Few, if any, good things happen instantly. I was reminded of this thought from Isaiah (and other scripture) -

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” Isaiah 28:10

Sometimes I get frustrated when I don’t learn things as fast as I would like. But as Mr. Bladeops.com taught, if the grits are not used in order, the knife will not become sharp. And you cannot polish a blade with a course grit stone, and an extra fine grit stone will not remove the rough imperfections.

Joseph Smith also described this process which he noticed in his own life.

I am like a huge rough stone...and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force...thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almightly. DHC 5:401

The rough edges are removed. Increasing grit is used until the subject is polished. I can move onward and upward, unthwarted by the length or the speed of the process. Every action and every decision can be a sharpening stroke. Every experience can help me become more like Jesus.