But it is better to learn sooner than later, and we see that even though God can decree our salvation ultimately, our free will can play a factor in the timing of our conversion.
We are commanded to preach the gospel urgently in all seasons (2 Tim 4:2) and to young and old alike (Mark 16:15). But the timing of conversion does not depend on our efforts. Before the foundation of the world, God determined how He Himself, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would produce and work, through the Word, everything that pertains to our conversion and how He alone would bring the elect to faith and preserve them. Rom 9:18. Thus, conversion is taken out of our hands and placed in the hand of the Almigthy God whose purpose and work can not fail.
