We should always desire  the word with hunger

a [newborn babes] In 1Pet. 1:23 Peter speaks of his readers as being born again. Here he tells them how to grow as newborn babes in Christ. It is by taking the unadulterated milk of the Word of God, the pure doctrines of the gospel, as recorded in the new covenant.

b [of the word] Greek: logikos (GSN-<G3050>), belonging to speech; belonging to reason; that which is rational; fit for reasoning; hence, logic. Translated of the word (1Pet. 2:2) and reasonable (Rom. 12:1). The milk to be found in the Word of God is in the highest sense reasonable.

c [grow thereby] Six facts about spiritual growth:

1. Like a cedar of Lebanon (Ps. 92:12)

2. Like calves in the stall (Mal. 4:2)

3. Into a holy temple (Eph. 2:21)

4. In grace (2Pet. 3:18)

5. In knowledge (2Pet. 3:18)

6. Into Christ in all things (Eph. 4:15)

How do newborn babies desire their mothers’ milk? They can’t go more than a couple of hours without it, including during the night. They throw a fit if they are not fed regularly.

I don’t think the Lord means we are supposed to go no more than two hours without studying the Word or throw a fit if we can’t do that, but this is stressing that we are supposed to hunger for the Word of God constantly. It’s as essential to our spiritual growth as mother’s milk is to a baby.

The growth in the Christian life doesn’t take place in our born-again spirits. Our spirits become perfect (Hebrews 10:14 and 12:23) and complete (Colossians 2:10) at the new birth. It’s our souls that are maturing and growing in the ability to appropriate what is already reality in our spirits (Philemon 6).

The Greek word “ADOLOS,” translated “sincere” in this verse, means “undeceitful, i.e. (figuratively) unadulterated” (Strong’s Concordance). This is stressing that there is a pure word of God as compared to an impure word. I believe this is speaking of rightly dividing God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).

Notice that we have to turn away from all the things listed in the first verse and turn unto God’s Word. The Word won’t work if it is choked by the things of the world (Mark 4:19), and just living a separated life doesn’t work unless it is infused with life from God’s Word. It’s a combination of the two..