Perhaps the answer will be found in irreversible thermodynamics. The good working order of a living cell may correspond to a stable state with a high probability of occurrence. Living systems do not only maintain their good working order but they all tend to improve it, to make the working structure more complex. When the fundamental principle that holds the cell together is found, perhaps we will then also understand what brought together the first living system and understand what drives living systems toward self-perfection. They are still seeking the principle that brought them together for the first time and that makes these systems improve themselves by building more complex structures capable of more complex functions.
Biology is a very young science.
It has called itself a separate science for only some eight decades. No one can expect it to find the answers to all questions. The most important questions are yet unanswered - perhaps unasked. They ask questions about structure and function, from the nature of consciousness down to the behavior of electrons, hoping that some day all of this detailed knowledge will come together in a deeper understanding. Perhaps some day they will find a new way of looking at things.