The construction of magical devices, save for the simplest summoning talismans, is far beyond the ken of the young mage.  However, their use requires but a touch of patience.  As with any skill, one learns and improves with practice.

Many impatient young novices think there is nothing more to using such a device than waving it around, rubbing it, or whatever may trigger it.  These are the same ones that wonder why the devices suddenly crumble into dust, or why so very little energy goes into the spell; the ones who will wear a device out entirely without ever learning what spell it held.

I occasionally hand these novices completely mundane stones with pretty but meaningless "runes" etched on them, and ask them to identify the spell.  After a few hours, sometimes days, they will return to me with hangdog expressions telling me they could not activate the spell.  It is then that I teach them about Focusing, which could have answered my question in half a minute.

All one needs to do is hold the object in question in both hands.  If it is too large or suspicious-looking to pick up (after all, some of the ancient booby-traps of the Elves still lie scattered about in forgotten places), you can kneel and place both hands on it.  Then, you need only FOCUS