586. The fact that a person can only be regenerated by stages can be illustrated by every single thing which comes into existence in the natural world. A tree cannot grow into a tree in a single day, but grows first from a seed, then a root, then a shoot which becomes a stem, from which branches develop with leaves, and finally flowers and fruits. Nor do wheat and barley produce a harvest in a single day. A house cannot be built in a single day: nor does a person reach full size in a single day, much less full wisdom. Nor is a church founded and brought to full development in a single day. No development towards an end is possible without a starting-point. Those who hold other ideas about regeneration know nothing about charity and faith, and how both of these grow in keeping with the person's co-operation with the Lord. All this makes it plain that regeneration is on the model of a person's conception, gestation in the womb, birth and upbringing.