Bhagawan Ramana says,
"Know the real self, and then the truth will shine forth within your heart like sunshine. The mind will become untroubled, and real happiness will flood it, for happiness and the true self are identical. You will have no more doubts once you attain this self-awareness."
(Source: Self Realization: The Life and Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi by B. V. Narasimha Swami, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1985)
This is what we are here for. This is our true and inner purpose. Everything else is an extension of this. All else serves only to aid us to go within eventually, provided we do not fall for the lure and hold on forever to all that is external.
To get there, we have to begin the journey by marching on the path initially imposed on us. Later, with liberty and freedom made available, we skip along in joy. Having fallen and hurt ourselves, we then turn to know the reasons for taking this birth. Walking with the guru, we are shown direction and our outer purpose. Finally settling within, the soul in us comes as the guru and walks in us, revealing it all, pulling the veil and curtain aside, and having us see and recognise the path that we once had traveled in the way past, and the Kingdom that was home to us.
Briefly said, this is life's journey. The time taken to return home and arrive there is dependent on the time we spend staying attached and rooted to the lures of the world. Then, when the search begins, the wandering starts. Losing one's way, or having to go in circles, or stalling momentarily to attend to other needs and responsibilities, then it is a rush to catch up on lost time, often not making it in time to board the train to realizing the Self. One then comes back to start the cycle. The soul that has made numerous attempts to get back on board and failed eventually seeks the grace of the divine to lift it up, acknowledging that it is never possible through one's efforts and willpower. This cry for mercy brings the door to God's kingdom to open wide. He is granted access back to God's kingdom. The pure soul returns home.