Simply lay aside the bone and enjoy the edible parts. The analogy is eminently clear. Consistency is one of the greatest challenges in any program for developing one's spiritual life, and growth through Scripture is no exception. If you would never go astray, And keep the devil far away, Use God s very special way, Find yourself a hideaway, And read your Bible there each day. More seriously, consistency in feeding on God's Word is absolutely essential if one would become advanced in the enviable skill mastered by the great saints of fathoming the mind of God in His Sacred Word.
Diamond mining is arduous work, but very rewarding.
He who desires to eat the kernel must first break open the shell. I think it is because we have forgotten the basic truth that such experiences can be architected only by God's grace and we seldom plead for such grace. In our Pelagian humanism, we try to lift ourselves up to the heights of holiness by our own bootstraps. No one had formulated this more clearly than St. Catherine of Siena who was called upon even by popes for advice. They read the Scriptures literally but not with true understanding.