铁棒磨成针 The old chinese saying. With perseverance, even a big iron rod can be ground to the size of a needle.

I think it's sad, when you have to chip at something you've taken so long to build up. It's like a stage production that had taken months or years to prepare, with the stage set. But the curtains never rise.

That is not to say the curtains will never rise, cos as long as they are there. But it's painful to sit by yourself in the theatre and watch.