Repentence

Repentance is connected with spiritual growth, just as
the breaking of the shell is connected with the hatching
of the birdling.
The breaking of the egg or the seed is necessary for
the germ to begin to grow and be subjected to the action
of air and light. The breaking of the egg is, at the same
time, a consequence of the growth of the germ.
The same is true of repentance.
If there is no repentance, there is no forward movement.

Tolstoy