Process/Goal/Process

"I am happy to hear that you continued to chant despite so many doubts and skepticism. That is the process. Even there may be doubts and skepticism, if one continues the chanting process, the doubts will all disappear, and real knowledge will be revealed by the Grace of Krishna."
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj

"Does God exist? If He exists, can He be experienced in this lifetime? If the answer to these questions is affirmative, it becomes the absolute necessity of man to experience Him directly at any cost."
Swami Vivekananda

I recently found the above quote by Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja and found it very satisfying to my mind. I was just going to post it alone with nothing else when I remembered the snippet paraphrased here from Vivekananda Swami. They actually complement each other. If one is convinced that the goal of their life lies on the other side of a wall, no amount of work or time spent would be too great a price to pay. If, on the other hand, one does not believe that the goal is to be found there, no amount of work or time spent would be justified.
When I was very young, I saw a picture on a friend's wall. It was a picture of (apparently) Jesus and some person embracing tenderly. It read at the bottom, "I never said it would be easy. I said it would be worth it."
At the time I could not appreciate the sentiment. But now, even as a (in-process) Gaudiya, I think I get it.