There are no shortcuts to maturity. The development of Christ-like character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time. Although God could instantly transform us, He has chosen to develop us slowly. Why does it take so long to change and grow up?

We are slow learners.

We often have to relearn a lesson forty or fifty times to really get it. The problems keep recurring. The history of Israel illustrates how we quickly forget the lessons God teaches us and how soon we revert back to our old patterns of behaviour.

We have a lot to unlearn.

Since most of our problems – and all of our bad habits – didn't develop overnight, it is unrealistic to expect them to go away immediately. It requires the hard work of removal and replacement. While we were given a brand new nature at the moment of conversion, we still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced.

We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves.

The fear of what we might discover if we honestly face our character defects keeps us living in the prison of denial. Only as God is allowed to shine the light of His truth on our faults, failures, and hang-ups can we begin work on them. This is why we cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude.

Growth is often painful and scary.

There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain. Every change involves a loss of some kind: we must let go of old ways in order to experience the new. We fear these losses, even if our old ways were self-defeating, because, like a worn out pair of shoes, they were at least comfortable and familiar.

Habits take time to develop.

Our character is the sum total of our habits. We can't claim to be kind unless we are habitually kind. We can't claim to have integrity unless it is our habit to be honest. There is only one way to develop the habits of Christ-like character: we must practice them – and that takes time. There are no instant habits. If we practice something over time, we get good at it. Repetition is the mother of character and skill.

As we grow to spiritual maturity, there are several ways to cooperate with God in the process.

Believe God is working in our life even when we don't feel it.

Spiritual growth is sometimes tedious work, one small step at a time. Expect gradual improvement. There are seasons in our spiritual life. Sometimes we will have a short, intense burst of growth, followed by a period of stabilizing and testing.

Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned.

Write down the insights and life lessons God teaches you about Him, about yourself, about life, relationships, and everything else. Record these so that we can review and remember them. The reason we must relearn lessons is that we forget them. Reviewing our spiritual journal regularly can spare us a lot of unnecessary pain and heartache.

Be patient with God and with yourself.

One of life's frustrations is that God's timetable is rarely the same as ours. We are often in a hurry when God isn't. We may feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress we're making in life. Remember that God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time. He will use our entire lifetime to prepare us for our role in eternity.

Don't get discouraged.

A delay is not a denial from God. Remember how far we've come, not just how far we have to go. We are not where we want to be, but neither are we where we used to be. God isn't finished with us, so keep moving forward and persevere.