The Ores of Life

In nature, things are never found in its natural form. Perhaps few gases and noble metals are found thus, but in combination with other things. The air we breathe, along with much of the matter around us, is nothing but mixtures of compounds.  Since many elements are very reactive, they tend to combine with other elements to form compounds and are not found in their pure, elemental form. 
What about the most reactive entity, life? Can't we think that the life we see in various moving and non-moving objects are in fact mixtures or compounds of life? Say, the 'ores' of life? And we are yet to devise a technique of separating life from its 'ore', each and every such 'ore' needing vastly different methods of extracting life from it?
I think we are reaching many conclusions about life by examining extensively it's ore, that too when life is not present in it. Like the difficulty we face in establishing simultaneously, the position and velocity of a particle, life also must be showing certain nonintuitive peculiarity. Like, having a property of not being subject to measurements, showing a tendency to go against predictions, an affinity to the unexpected, etc.
Can't we think of  living beings as 'ores' of Life?