Verse for December 22, 2011 356. There are three urgent duties of a farmer. What three? The farmer gets his fields well ploughed and harrowed very quickly. Then he puts in the seed very quickly. Then he irrigates it very quickly. But the farmer has no magic power or authority to say: "Let my crops spring up today, let them ear tomorrow and on the following day let them ripen." No! In due time this will happen.
In the same way, there are these three urgent duties of a monk. What three? Undertaking the training in higher virtue, higher thought and higher wisdom. But he has no such magic power or authority to say: "Today, tomorrow or the next day, let my mind be free from the defilements." No! In due time this will happen as he undergoes training in these three things. Therefore you should train yourselves like this: "We shall be keen to undertake the training in these three things."
Anguttara Nikaya I.229