polishing basalt and other materials

[VisualThinker7@zzzzzzz]

For the past 40 years or so, I've been under the impression that the act of
polishing metal or stone required generating enough heat in the   top layer to
actually melt it, and this causes molecules to become aligned  in such a way
that they all reflect light in the same direction.
Some kinds of molecules will never align themselves, and thus some  materials
cannot be polished.

The molecules of unpolished material scatter the light, and look dull as a
result.

If this is true, then the heat produced by the act of polishing may cause
some materials to become cloudy once they cool off, and this effect may be
irreversible. The material looks polished when it's still hot, but becomes dull
or dusty looking once it cools.
Liquids would make things look polished by filtering the light so that it
flows coherently, rather than in a scattered pattern. This is why so much stone
looks better when wet.
Polishes and sealers act as liquids even after they've dried, as glass  does,
after it has cooled.

I'm wondering if this theory of mine has any basis in reality.