The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the lustre of it will never appear.

-Defoe, Daniel
  An Essay upon Projects,'Of  Academies:  An  Academy for Women'.

Wasthere ever sucha sunnystreet asthis Broadway! The pavement stones are polished with thetread of feet until they shine again† Heaven save the ladies, how they dress! We have seen more colours in these ten minutes, than we should have seen elsewhere, in as many days. What various parasols! what rainbow silks and satins! what pinking of thin stockings and pinching of thin shoes, and fluttering of ribbons and silk tassels, and display of rich cloaks with gaudy hoods and linings!

-Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam
  American Notes.

When I was a lad I served a term As office boy to an attorney's firm. I cleaned the windows and I swept the floor, And I polished up the handle of the big front door. I polished up that handle so carefullee That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

-Gilbert, Sir W(illiam) S(chwenck)
  HMS Pinafore, act 2.