So what's the hardest material in minecraft?
Cobblestone? No.
Iron? No.
Obsidian? No.
Diamonds? No.
Netherite? No.
Wood? Yes.
Why? This theory originates from the most important block in Minecraft... The crafting table.
When you're crafting a diamond tool/sword/armor piece
You're transforming standard oval-shaped diamonds into different shapes.
How do you do that? Of course, you need something stronger than the diamond itself to reshape it. And the crafting table's strong enough to reshape diamonds. So how do you create a crafting table? Four humble wood planks.
What about netherite? You use smithing tables don't you? Well, don't forget the ore blocks. 9 netherite ingots = 1 block of netherite. Exactly - if you want to reshape netherite, then the crafting table used must be even stronger.