Answer
In the beginning, when we take to devotional service, our faith is called komala-śraddhā—very tender faith. Because it is tender, it can easily be affected by external influences and the material atmosphere.
Therefore, this faith has to be strengthened, and that strengthening comes through the process of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The more we chant, the more our faith becomes strengthened. The more we engage in devotional activities, the stronger our faith becomes.
As our faith grows stronger, the influence of the external materialistic atmosphere gradually decreases. Then, after progressing to a certain stage, one becomes steady. With continued purification and stronger faith, the faith no longer flickers.
In the Bhāgavatam, it is described that when the heart becomes purified to about eighty percent, faith becomes steady. Therefore, our goal is to purify the heart through sincere devotional practice.
