The Lord who is patient and long-suffering even with evil may be equally slow to redeem the transgressor. The seeds of iniquity are not easily uprooted; time and suffering are a part of the healing process.
The blessings of heaven are not cheaply obtained. One hardly merits the company of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the exalted of all ages by the mere profession of faith or the lamentation for sin. A merely verbal repentance is hardly good training for the discipline necessary in keeping the commandments.