Jesus was not born full grown either spiritually or physically.  If he had not been like us in all ways he could not be our example.  He had to be made like his brethren in everything.  His brethren were not born full-grown and Jesus had to grow like they grew.  He was not born with all wisdom but grew in it (Luke 2:52). God sent Jesus to be like we are so he could be an example or us to follow.  Jesus grew by following in his Father’s spiritual steps when his Father showed him those steps (John 5:19, 20).  He grew until he had the complete love of God (Heb. 2:10, James 1:2-4; 1 John 2:5).  We are also commanded to follow the Father like Jesus did (Mt 5:48).  We follow our Father by walking in Christ’s love as he loved the apostles while he was on earth (John 13:34-35).  We are to follow Christ to grow in his image (Col. 3:10) for he is in the image of the Father (Col. 1:15).  Not all of God’s children grow.  Laodicea, Galatia and many other Christians are examples of brethren who forgot their calling (Rev. 3:14-17, Gal. 5:7-9, Heb.12:5,6).  God’s faithful children are in the process of being “. . . changed into the same image, from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).  The word ‘changed’ in this scripture is the word metamorphoo (present indicative tense), which tells us that this is a continuing process for those who are exercised by our Father’s chastening (Heb 12:11).  As children grow physically, so God’s children are to grow in heart in a continuing process.  Jesus grew in favor with God as he grew in all of the parts of love (Luke 2:52; James 2:2-4).  He did not run the race so that we don’t have to run it (Heb. 12:1-3) but we are to follow in his steps (1 Pet. 2:21).