Is the manifestation of the sons of God a progressive experience or a sudden experience?

It appears to be something that occurs suddenly but that we walk into progressively.  It is receiving what Jesus already paid for.

From glory to glory . . . from faith to faith . . . until the daystar arise in your hearts . . . the calling is higher than we can imagine and more wonderful than words can tell . . . Until we all come . . . to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  Ephesians 4:11

the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ!  There is no way you want to miss out on this.  You're save, born again.  That's good.  Now don't miss out on the purpose of that.

We took the what part of this verse and cut off the how, and we did that on purpose.  Let's just think of the what here.

1. We all come to the unity of the faith
2. We all come to the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God
3. We all come to a perfect man
4. We all come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

If you aren't in awe right now, you don't get it.

If you aren't knocked off your feet by God's plan, you aren't understanding.

And God gave something, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, until all of this comes about.  (See Ephesians 4:11-16)  He gave these gifts that does something until all of this comes about.  That something will be there doing what it should until all of this is finished.  These gifts are part of what Jesus purchased on the cross.  Some wonderful born again saints of God are missing out on all of this.  Many are taught to reject what God has done for them.

Romans 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

The word, manifestation, is a translation of the Greek word, apocalypse.  The Greek word, apocalypse, means, "the removal of a veil."  The only Biblical reference that explains this metaphore is a reference to Jesus that explains that the veil is the flesh.

There is coming a time when those who have come to maturity will experience the redemption of their bodies.  This is the true hope of the Church.  Many have speculated as to the details of how it will be when this will happen, but we do know that we go from glory to glory even now.

Did you know that the Scripture teaches that your body will be redeemed?

Romans 8:23 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

NOTE: Eastern adoption is not the same as Western adoption.  Eastern adoption is the placing of a mature son into a ruling position.