Indeed …

… Education is good, but formation is better. (Hat tip, Tim Davis)

Formation is the painstaking, earnest investment of an older generation of mentors in a younger generation of apprentices. At the root of formation is a trusting relationship that a mentor is wise, reliable and well-intended in passing on information to a humble, hard-working and discerning apprentice. Before they were introduced to the nuance of brushstrokes, the great artists first had mentors who taught them to sweep the studio, run errands and mix paints. 

I think of myself as having been mentored by Edward Gannon, S.J.