The washing had now become very fine--fine beyond all need of ordinary placer-mining. We worked the black sand, a small portion at a time, up the shallow rim of the pan. Each small portion he examined sharply, so that his eyes saw every grain of it before he allowed it to slide over the edge and away. Jealously, bit by bit, he let the black sand flip away. A golden speck, no larger than a pinpoint, appeared on the rim, and by his manipulation of the water it returned to the bottom of the pan. and in such fashion another speck was disclosed, and another. Great was his care of them. Like a shepherd he herded his flock of golden specks so that not one should be lost. At last, of the pan of dirt nothing remained but his golden herd. He counted it, and then, after all his labor, sent it flying out of the pan with one final swirl of water.

THE BEGINNING. In most good writing the beginning of the paragraph introduces you to the ideas you will encounter in that paragraph. This beginning may tell briefly what that author hopes to accomplish, or it may set forth the scope of the idea to be discussed. Sometimes the beginning tries to arouse our curiosity. Whatever it's purpose, a good beginning tells us not only what we are about to read, but often what we are not about to read.  In  the selected paragraph the beginning is only one sentence in length. This length is adequate for average paragraphs. Even though a long composition might require several paragraphs for a proper beginning, each of these pararagraphs would requrie itw own beginning, middle, and ending.
THE MIDDLE.  The beginning of a composition aroused interest  and marks limits.  Good beginnings are vital, but if a piece of writing lacks a carefully worked out central section, or body,  the composition will hold little interest for the reader.  The way the complications are developed and organized determines the significance and meaning of events. Essentially, the middle  explains the opening remarks.
THE ENDING. The ending of a paragraph or composition can create lasting impressions that the reader carries with him. Some endings summarize what has already been stated; some make comments or reflections on the main ideas; others are intended to surprise the reader by a sudden turn of events. Whatever it's purpose, the edning draws a partial or final conclusion. Even if the end of a paragraph is not the end of a composition, it is the end of part of the whole and must conclude a part of the action or clear up some facet of the main idea.

ASSIGNMENT.  Write a brief paragraph using one of the following pairs of beginning and ending sentences.

a. People are funny.
     He/she was the most unusual person in my Homiletics class.

b. Imagine a man who never walks when he can ride.
     Jud was the laziest (or busiest) man in the world.