By means of heat, nature brings gold and other metals to maturity.

By means of heat, nature brings gold and other metals to
maturity. So gold is like the food a cook puts in the oven! But
whereas, in nature, gold forms very slowly, since the heat that
cooks it is very low, when it comes to our producing spiritual
gold, it is possible for us to proceed more rapidly by increasing
the heat. However, we should also take care not to burn
everything.
The trainee alchemist can be compared to the trainee cook, who
doesn't yet know how to gauge the heat: they either let the
dishes burn, or else the heat is so low they undercook them. In
order to carry the 'great work' through to a successful
conclusion and form the philosopher's stone within ourselves, we
must light the fire of love within and learn how to regulate it.
The process is accelerated by love, but love, like heat, also
requires great control; otherwise, with that too, we are likely
to burn everything. Love is the most terrible fire there is, if
you do not know how to master it; this is why it must always be
tempered by wisdom. The philosopher's stone is that state of
divine consciousness attainable only through love and wisdom."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov