It is crucial to understand that not the fact that we are pursuing holiness qualifies us to see the Lord

We are qualified to see the Lord by the Lord. What does this mean?

We cannot produce enough righteousness to impress God and gain our entrance into heaven. Instead, we can stand before God only on the basis of the righteousness that was gained by Jesus Christ. Only He lived a life good enough to be accepted by the Father and to be considered worthy. He was able to do this because He was God incarnated in the flesh. Living a sinless life qualified Him to be a sacrifice for the Father to accept in the name of others who by sin disqualify themselves for heaven and for a relationship with God.

As a result, all who come to God and trust in the person and work of Jesus to be justified before God are given the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1: 13-14). 

This presence of the Holy Spirit creates a new hunger for all who live in it that they have not had before. For example, they want God's Word - the Bible - which they previously considered boring or irrelevant. Now they have new desires, such as the desire to live a sinless life and to have a mind that is not tempted by sin.