Alma emphasizes the “essence for essence” restoration by contrasting it with the reality of life. Alma knows that we are not wholly good in this life, but he tells Corianton that this temporary deviation from the way cannot be used to justify a long separation from the way. Restoration cannot come to anything “opposite of its nature.” Restoration must be like to like. Even though we are temporarily off the way, the requirement is repentance, not a rewriting of the understanding of God that makes our departure from the way somehow all right.