how does one lockpick??

I had recently had two men brake my door in atempt to rob my house. After replacing my door, i found my old lock, and began to examine it. I was able to come to some basic conclusions, based on the design of the lock, that there are several pins which have to be pushed down a precise distance for the lock open. I have to apologize for my lack of knowledge, but after looking at the lock for quite some time, and attemting to pick it with wire, i became quite interested with how locks works, and more importantly, how can the purpose of such devices be broken. I have browsed the internet for information, but i usually either get really basic information, or something that i dont understand. The reason i starting this topic is to gain help on this unique skill people have. Please understand that i am asking for this information because i will ever use it, but i am just asking because i am quite interested. Thank you