The hard work of transformation

Only God can change our hearts, but for some reason he wants us to be part of the process. Consider:

Many people talk of wanting to change but they say it is too hard to do. They look for some magic formula, or expect God to just bail them out of working at it. They also overlook this whole idea of slowly changing, and slowly sliding back. So some think it is too hard to change. If this is you, I want to tell you the truth. The reason it seems so hard is because your heart is so hard. Your heart has become so hardened because of what you have let in.

Ouch. Those words are from J.D. Hatfield, and I recommend reading his whole essay.