The material is rough, hard, and can be shaped. Over time, it will take on many different forms, each one more complex and beautiful than the last.
Only one force can shape it, and it keeps the form it's given right after. Its future is very different with each form, but with each form it becomes more solid, as if it were never going to become something else, as if the work were complete. But there will always be a greater force that can change it and keep it from changing its appearance. This goes on forever.
... εἰ δὲ νοεῖς, ἔστιν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ϰαὶ σωμάτων ἀσώματα. — Ποῖα; ἔφη ὁ βασιλεύς. — Τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἐσόπτροις φαινόμενα σώματα οὐ δοϰεῖ σοι ἀσώματα εἶναι; — Οὕτως ἔχει, ὦ Τάτ· ϑείως νοεῖς, ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν. — Ἔστι δὲ ϰαὶ ἀσώματα ἄλλα, οἷον αἱ ἰδέαι οὐ δοϰοῦσιν εἶναί σοι, ἀσώματοι οὖσαι, ἐν σώματι φαινόμεναι, οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐμψύχων ἀλλὰ ϰαὶ τῶν ἀψύχων; — Εὖ λέγεις, ὦ Τάτ. — Οὕτως ἀνταναϰλάσεις εἰσὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων πρὸς τὰ σώματα, ϰαὶ τῶν σωμάτων πρὸς τὰ ἀσώματα, τουτέστι τοῦ αἰσϑητοῦ πρὸς τὸν νοητὸν ϰόσμον ϰαὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ πρὸς τὸν αἰσϑητόν· διὸ προσϰύνει τὰ ἀγάλματα, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὡς ϰαὶ αὐτὰ ἰδέας ἔχοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ νοητοῦ ϰόσμου. ὁ οὖν βασιλεὺς ἐξαναστὰς ἔφη, Ὥρα ἐστίν, ὦ προφήτα, περὶ τὴν τῶν ξένων ἐπιμέλειαν γενέσϑαι· τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ περὶ τῶν ἑξης ϑεολογήσομεν.


