This is true also in the milchemes hayetzer, our lifelong battle to overcome our evil inclinations. The Chasam Sofer adds a brilliant insight, saying we should learn from the yetzer hara himself how to lead battle and overcome him.
The yetzer hara, he says, doesn't initially try to convince a person to commit the gravest sins. Instead, he slowly convinces him, regarding matters that are considered by the person unimportant and non-critical, and so, step by step, he continues to coerce him into doing progressively worse sins, until he gains power over him and drags him into the nadir where he commits the worst transgressions. As the Gemara says (שבת קה:): "Such is the craft of the yetzer hara. Today he tells him to do this, and tomorrow tells him do that, until eventually, when he no longer controls himself, he tells him to worship idols and he goes and worships idols."
We too should adopt this cunning approach in our counter battle against the yetzer hara. Step by step, we should advance slowly but surely towards our goal. Trying to "do it all at once" will not bring us any closer. Quite the opposite, it only draws us away from the desired destination.
(חתם סופר – תורת משה, ויקרא)