I've got a normalized vec3 that represents an orientation.

Each frame of animation, an object's orientation changes slightly, so I add a delta vector to the orientation vector and then normalize to find the new orientation.

I'd like to convert the vec3 that represents an orientation into a rotation matrix that I can use to orient my object.

If it helps, my object is a cone, and I'd like to rotate it about the pointy end, not from its center :)

PS I know I should use quaternions because of the gimbal lock problem. If someone can explain quats too, that'd be great :)