The lesson of "Iron"

So, I am studying and trying memorize the 57th surah/chapter of the Quran, called al Hadeed, or "Iron"... At the 25th verse, God states He "sent down" (arabic: anzalna) iron, which man uses for its various benefits. It is interesting that He says this as opposed to other verbs - and while this could be read in a metaphorical sense, I have been chasing the literal meaning.

So, I wondered: "sent down" from where...?

Dipping into cosmology, I find that nothing in our solar system is hot enough to create nearly all elements on/in our planet, and that they occur as the result of supernovas elsewhere (from a loooong time ago), its expelled matter streaking across the universe, eventually collecting into the cooling mass that became our solar system and planet.

Now, the Quran is not a science manual, nor do I subscribe to the notion that science is supposed to confirm the veracity of the Quran, but I am impressed when there is a confluence of the two. What I am struck by is the spiritual lesson I have learned:

If iron was indeed "sent down", then we spend a lot of time and effort digging in the dirt for it and other things we deem valuable (ie, gold, diamonds, oil) and useful. Then we draw it out, form it, make it shiny, and build things with it, thinking we have accomplished so much.

And as we admire our efforts, it rusts away.

So what I have learned for myself is to not spend so much time thinking that digging around beneath my feet in the dirt (here "dirt" equates to the world and to what is base or beneath me and/or mud which I can get stuck in) for ideas, things, and people is life, when I should be spending some/more time looking and moving up, elevating my nafs (self/soul) and my life. And it's notable that that dirt we dig in - that dirt we consider the source of wealth, etc - it is the same dirt that ultimately acts as our grave.

God sends things down - the object is that we should use those things to look up at Him and endeavor to draw closer to the Source...