What are 2nd degree working tools and what do they mean?

The working tools of a Fellow Craft Mason are the Plumb, the Square, and the Level 2. While first noted in the lodge as the Immovable Jewels worn by the three principal officers, in the second degree they are given into the hands of the candidate to signify an advance in knowledge and responsibility 23. Where the Entered Apprentice used only the gauge and gavel to prepare raw stone, the Fellow Craft receives the implements required to test, lay, and erect a standing structure 2.

The Square is used to test the work of the apprentice and symbolizes morality, fair dealing, and the try square of conscience 23. It requires the Mason to square every action and word by the standard of virtue 23.

The Level is employed to lay horizontal courses and represents both equality among brethren and the unrepeatable level of time 21. Because an act built upon time cannot be unbuilt or retrieved, the tool teaches the Mason to build his life with immediate and enduring truth 2.

The Plumb, which carries special emphasis in the second degree, is used to raise perpendicular columns and signifies moral rectitude, integrity, and steadfastness 21. It admonishes the Mason to walk uprightly without leaning toward adversity or temptation 21. In American jurisdictions, its symbol is paired with the reading from the Book of Amos, illustrating a plumb line set in the midst of the people as a standard of strict justice and moral judgment 121.