Summarize this article in one sentence.
You'll need a pickaxe to gather the stone or metals for a better sword. Here's a brief summary of how to find these, from most to least common:  Stone is widely available in mountainsides and just beneath the surface. Mine it with a wooden pickaxe. Iron (stone with beige flecks) is fairly common just beneath the surface, and requires a stone pickaxe to mine. Gold and diamond ore are very rare and only found deep under the earth. Combine two cobblestone and a stick to make a stone sword. This deals 6 damage and lasts for 132 hits before breaking. (In comparison, the wooden sword does 5 damage and lasts for 60 hits.) As with all swords, the computer recipe fills only one column, with the stick at the bottom. Iron is a great dependable material you'll be relying on for a long time. Once you have iron ingots (see below), you can make an iron sword that does 7 damage for 251 hits. After mining the ore, you'll need to smelt the iron ore into ingots using a furnace. Despite its rarity, gold is not very good for tools. If you smelt the gold ingots and make them into a sword, it will deal the same damage as a wooden sword but only last for 33 hits. There is one advantage to golden swords: they have the best chance at a high level enchantment. Many players still don't like to enchant them since they're such temporary tools. Now you've really made it in the world. Diamonds are the best material for tools and weapons, and do not require smelting. A diamond sword does eight damage and lasts for 1,562 hits. Place two damaged swords of the same type anywhere in the crafting area. The result will be a sword with more durability than both of them put together. You cannot increase the durability past the sword's normal maximum this way. A "damaged" sword is any sword that has been used at least once. You should see a small bar next to the item icon showing you how much durability is left.
Gather materials with a pickaxe. Craft a stone sword. Upgrade to iron. Make a golden sword for show. Craft a diamond sword. Repair your swords.