drop by DROP by dRoP

Spiritual work doesn't happen in a day, in a week, in a month. But eventually it penetrates, and you look back and say, wow, I really did change.
There is a story of one of the greatest sages of Kabbalah, Akiva, who at the age of forty was one of the most negative people around — until the day he fell for a woman who was very spiritual. But he thought, "I can't change, so I'm never going to be good enough for her." Although they were enjoying their time together, he was convinced there was no hope.
One day they walked by the bank of a river and saw a little stream passing through a big boulder. She said, "See that? Do you think the hole in that boulder, which allows the stream to pass through, happened in a day, a week, or even in a month? No, it happened drop by drop by drop, year after year, until eventually it created the hole through the boulder allowing the water to pass."
... remember the three keys necessary to penetrate any boulder blocking your fufillment: patience, commitment and desire. As long as you are willing to bring these qualities into your daily spiritual process, you're going to break through — sooner or later.

http://www.kabbalah.com/tuneups/022808.html?cid=20080228a