St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia: For the soul to repent it must first awake...

For the soul to repent it must first awake. 

It is in this awakening that the miracle of repentance occurs. This is where human will plays its role. The awakening, however; is not something that rests only with the individual man or woman. The individual on his own is unable to bring it about. God intervenes. 

Then divine grace comes. Without grace a person cannot repent. The love of God does everything. He may use something — an illness, or something else, it depends — in order to bring a person to repentance. 

Accordingly repentance is achieved through divine grace. 
We simply make a move towards God and from then onwards grace supervenes….[Yet], if there are not the preconditions for Christ to enter into us, repentance does not come. The preconditions are humility, love, prayer, prostrations, and labor for Christ…

Repentance is a very delicate matter. True repentance will bring us sanctification.

St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia