The Ainur (Valar and Ainur) were children of Eru's thoughts. They were a kind of Archangels. So, they were very mighty: they even shaped Arda, the world, that is.
Among the Valar, Melkor/Morgoth was mightiest. He indeed put much of his power, might and evil in the very fabric of Arda.
Sauron was far less powerfull than Morgoth, but powerfull still. He put most of his power into controlling the peoples of Middle Earth, not in controlling the earth itself. So, in the end he was mightier than Morgoth, because his arm reached further and he controlled more. His inherent power was less, though.
Sauron created his Ring to channel and concentrate his power and to influence the Elven Rings. But since he put most of his power in the Ring, he would loose it if/when the Ring was destroyed. He never imagined though, that he would loose it, let alone that someone would want to destroy it and succeed in that. In the end, it was not someone who destroyed it, but fate (or Eru?) that let Gollum tumble and fall in the Crack of Doom.
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