And since nature intended that all things should be perfect, it was the aim of the alchemist to assist her in this purifying process, and incidentally to gain wealth and prolong his life.
By other alchemists the process of transition from baser metals into gold was conceived to be like a process of ripening fruit.

The ripened product was gold, while the green fruit, in various stages of maturity, was represented by the base metals.

Silver, for example, was more nearly ripe than lead; but the difference was only one of "digestion," and it was thought that by further "digestion" lead might first become silver and eventually gold.

In other words, Nature had not completed her work, and was wofully slow at it at best; but man, with his superior faculties, was to hasten the process in his laboratories--if he could but hit upon the right method of doing so.
It should not be inferred that the alchemist set about his task of assisting nature in a haphazard way, and without training in the various alchemic laboratory methods.

On the contrary, he usually served a long apprenticeship in the rudiments of his calling.