The path leading to perfection is long. Pray to God so that he will strengthen you. Patiently accept your falls and, having stood up, immediately run to God, not remaining in that place where you have fallen. Do not despair if you keep falling into your old sins. Only with the passage of time and with fervor will they be conquered. Don’t let anything deprive you of hope.
–Saint Nektarios of Aegina (1846-1920)