Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, 'Shake well before using.' That is what God has to do with some of His people. He has to shake them well before they are ever usable.
It's a very tempting thing to try and relive your glory days when you get a little older and you worry that people have forgotten all about you.
Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.