" To join a monastic community, people promise stability, pledging to remain in that community for life. At the same time they also promise to remain always open to change, to what is loosely translated as a “conversion of life.”

We know what happens when we have stability without conversion; we end up stagnant, curled up comfortably with that familiar idol called “This is the way we’ve always done it.” And conversion without stability may describe the current state of affairs with regard to the spiritual life in America. Many seem to value change for its own sake; we’re always after something new. But when seeking the holy becomes a goal in itself, the last thing we want to do is find it. In all of the religious traditions I know of, anything that feels like finding translates into commitment. And like conversion itself, commitment is scary. "

― Kathleen Norris , Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith