God's conforming process in our lives

Over this past year and last summer God did some conforming in my life.  It was a slow, but gradual process that took time but it was necessary for me to become a like Jesus Christ.
This past summer at Discipleship Focus, I came to realize and know that God is in control of our lives every day.  He used this concept that the taught me last summer in my supposed search for a job.  He kept reminding me that is in control of my life even when I didn't want to acknowledge it at times.  He gave me a certain peace about the ability to go through hard times.  Through this time, I have gained the ability to remind myself that he is in control of whatever situation I'm going through.
I also gained the ability to the desperately dependent on God this past summer at Discipleship Focus.  I thought I was dependent on God before last summer but I think I've been able to acknowledge the times that I need him.  I can remind myself I can depend on him with anything because he is the source of anything Godly in my life.
I have also gained the ability to present situations and abide in him during good and bad times in my life lately from the experience I had last summer.  I gained the ability to present things to him that I could not before.  I have been able to present certain jobs to apply for in the past year to him and God has given me leading to if I should get the job or move to that place.
Lastly, I have gained the ability to trust him with bigger and bigger things therefore my faith has increased.  This has happened with the ability to present and abide that I discussed in the last paragraph.  If he can present a situation or struggle, then we will be able to trust him with the next one.  That is how my life has gone in the past year.  It has been a struggle at times but also a time of growth in my life.  We have to trust him, because he is faithful and in control.
This conforming process that I have discussed Paul presents to us in Romans 8:28-29.   It says this,
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
This process may be long and gradual but at the end Jesus is at the center of it all.  He is the one doing the molding in our life.  We can't make it in this life on our own.  We can't produce growth in Jesus or good on our own in life.
God may use good times or struggles in our lives to produce this conforming process in us.  We have to remind ourselves that this process is necessary for our growth in him.