In his New Testament epistle Peter quotes from Isaiah 28:16 as he represents Jesus Christ as " a chief corner stone, elect, precious. The stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner"(1 Peter 2:6,7)
Peter knew that Jesus was well versed and experienced in building construction practice. Indeed the Greek word translated "carpenter" can also stand for "stone mason". And did not the Lord utilize his knowledge of building in his parable of the two houses, one built on the rock and the other built on the sand? (Matthew 7:24-27).
Nowadays the laying of a cornerstone is mainly ceremonial, and before it is laid most of the preliminary construction has already been done and the foundation is already in place. But anciently, the cornerstone was much more important as the actual beginning, from which all other angles and measurements were taken. Before transits and laser beam projections, a builder used his right-angle square, his plumb line, and his compasses, and once his cornerstone was solidly in place it provided the unchanging standard, the unmovable original orientation for the entire structure.
In the language of builders, it took a perfect ashlar* hewn square and straight, to serve as the reference point for a sound and correct edifice*. Jesus Christ is just that feature, the cornerstone of His own true church.
ashlar or ashler, noun.
a square-hewn stone used in building and for pavement.
a building, especially a large or imposing one
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