what is the moral lesson of the working tools in the first degree

The working tools of an Entered Apprentice are the Twenty-four Inch Gauge and the Common Gavel 1.

The Twenty-four Inch Gauge symbolizes the proper division and stewardship of time. It teaches that time should be partitioned into three equal portions of eight hours: eight hours for the service of God and a distressed worthy brother, eight for usual vocations, and eight for refreshment and sleep 1. This division warns against idleness and waste, reminding the initiate that the practical application of Masonic labor and charity belongs to daily life outside the lodge room as well as within it 1.

The Common Gavel, used operatively to break off the rough corners of unhewn stone, signifies the moral duty of divesting the heart and conscience of all vices and superfluities 1. Carl H. Claudy explains that this process rests on the principle that human perfection is already present within, made in the image of God; the tool serves symbolically to knock away redundant roughness so that the true figure may emerge 1.

Beyond its individual application to personal discipline, the gavel also serves within the lodge as the emblem of authority held by the Worshipful Master, used to maintain order, peace, and harmony among the brethren 1.