Beauty in craft lends delight and grace, but it is always secondary to the true aim of craft: to create something useful and usable. The intention is always humble: to do the work well. This means honoring and knowing the raw materials; there is no place for plastic and Velcro in the craftswoman's workshop. Similarly she knows and honors the instruments of her craft. St. Benedict's Rule talks about the stewardship of tools, however common and simple they may be: they are to be treated with the same reverence as the sacred vessels of the altar.
— Margaret Guenther, Toward Holy Ground