Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what You say, and Your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner. Yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Psalms 51:4-6 NLT

Here David does not waste one moment rationalizing his sin. He goes right to the heart of it. False repentance hates only the consequences of sin. True repentance hates sin itself. The distinction between anguish at the consequences and being sorry for the sin itself is a fundamental diagnostic of the state of the human heart. If you hate the sin, you have begun the process of being liberated from it. A true repentant says “Lord, I’m tired of failing you.”