If you do not try hard and continuously practice, then you cannot get anywhere

Diligence is the third one. Because when one doesn’t put any efforts, then one still doesn’t get anywhere, even one have knowledge. One [may] know about the teacher very well, and one have received many teachings from a good teacher, but one doesn’t try hard, doesn’t continuously practice, then one can’t get anywhere. Therefore, efforts take very important part, so be diligent.

It’s very important to understand the important teachings or instructions for one to be a good student. Because we want to practice Dharma, we need good instructions for the path. Therefore, good instruction is very important, but good instruction will work on you or not depends on your understanding and the diligence. One doesn’t understanding the instructions, then instructions will not be useful. And if one is very lazy then even though one have received good instructions, one is not really improving. Because one is very lazy, doesn’t want to practice, just wasting time for talking, playing and eating v. v. For all of these regular things take the time, so one doesn’t practice dharma and to make improvement on the path.

Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, “Three Qualities a Dharma Master Should Have (Part I)”