Conversion is a lifelong process, requiring us to put away idols, surrender the false self and allow the real self to emerge by accepting weakness, owning up to our sins and fallings, and working to overcome them. Grace is experienced in prayer, in reading, in solitude and in spiritual companionship, in life's good experiences and in times of trial. Attuning ourselves to God's grace and responding to it in body, mind, and soul is the work of a lifetime.