We believe in the kind, patient approach of the gardener in this parable:
“A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if he could find any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.
Finally he told his gardener to cut it down. ‘I’ve waited three years and there hasn’t been a single fig!’ he said. ‘Why bother with it any longer? It’s taking up space we can use for something else.’
“‘Give it one more chance,’ the gardener answered. ‘Leave it another year, and I’ll cultivate it and give it plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine; if not, I’ll cut it down.’”
Luke 13:6-9