Fertilizer.

Think about this: ( Selah) : if we didn't have life's "crap" to face, that'd mean we were being stagnant. At least when pushing through the "crap" we're pushing forward, onward to the prize, maturing to be able to produce more fruit. A stagnant seed rots ( AND stinks!!!). Same with stagnant roots or a plant in any stage of maturity. But a maturing one, one growing, thriving, producing fruit to nourish others grows up. Pushes through the stinky crap of the world around and uses that wisdom as fertilizer to enrich themselves and produce sweeter more bountiful and richer fruit. And also… there's 9 fruits listed. We work on them continually through out life. Like first you learn to count. Then Maybe recognizing the numbers. Then writing. Then adding. Subtracting. Before long? Calculus. It takes time. A acorn takes a bit to produce more acorns. 

My point? Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-4 MSG)