The nature of water is soft; that of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above the stone, allowing the water to fall drop by drop, it wears away the stone. So it is with the Word of God; it is soft and our heart is hard, but the man who hears the Word of God often, opens his heart to the fear of God.

Abba Poemen, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers in CT 10/22/01, p. 40