It helps me to know that faith is also the gift of God, not something I can produce or conjure up from within my own corrupt, fallen nature.

"My" faith is a result of regeneration. I have faith only because God gave me faith.

I did not know that faith was from God until much later on in my life, but praise His name, God's grace doesn't depend on my proper understanding of the doctrine. Grace and faith are given to the elect purely on the basis of God's sovereign choice.

Because regeneration precedes faith (because only regeneration can produce faith to believe), salvation is by grace alone, period.