THE world may have been waiting for a glimpse of Luis Urzua, the last miner to emerge from the Chilean mine to a hero's welcome, but to the trapped men, a real hero was Manuel Gonzalez, the first rescuer to venture down into their hellhole.

Mr Gonzalez, a rescue expert with state copper company Codelco, was a guinea pig, riding the Phoenix II capsule down to the shelter where he was mobbed by the miners, elated over their first outside human contact in 10 weeks.
His arrival signalled that their nightmare was ending. ''That's when they realised that they were all going to get out,'' he said afterwards.

When Luis Urzua, the shift foreman, rode the capsule to freedom, fame and the world's cheers for the salvation of all 33 miners, he thanked many of the rescuers at the top.
But six from the team remained far below.

They quickly unfurled a banner which brought celebrations to a frenzy: ''Mision cumplida (Mission accomplished).''

One by one they then rode up to the surface, leaving Mr Gonzalez alone for about 45 minutes to contemplate the rock shelter that easily could have been the miners' tomb.

Mr Gonzalez finally climbed into the capsule to follow his fellow rescuers to the surface, and as he reached the top the emotional team launched into a chant: ''Manuel Gonzalez Pavez, hero of the 33!''

President Pinera, who had stayed at the mine throughout the 22-hour operation to welcome each rescued miner, was on hand to greet him. ''The job is done,'' Mr Gonzalez told the national leader.  (this report © AFP)

There's another man who rescued those who were lost and cut off. Not by 700 meters of rock, but by our accumulated weight of wrongdoing. Not from daylight - from the light of God's love and grace.
Just like the miners, we were incapable of rescuing ourselves. We too could manage to make a good job of surviving, but we were still trapped. We couldn't ascend to God - He needed to send a man to rescue us.

This man's arrival indicated that we were not forgotten, and wouldn't be abandoned. His arrival was the sign of hope, showing us that we would eventually be free.

And just like Manuel Gonzales, this man chose to put himself at risk for the sake of our freedom. And he wouldn't consider his own safety until each and every one of the lost was rescued.

He came to be where we are, that we might be where He was.

Unlike Manuel Gonzales, he not only risked death - he experienced death. But just like Manuel Gonzales, on the third day he returns. Manuel Gonzales, just before he ascended back up the escape shaft for the final time, said that it had been hard being separated from his family - even for quite a short time - 'but it was worth it, because we finally got this done.'

And Jesus said, as he gave up his spirit on the Cross, 'It is accomplished.' - 'We finally got this done.'