What happens when the Holy Spirit and the Law of God hit old Adam where it hurts?

Les explains that old Adam can be dressed up and made to look nice on the outside, just as a show horse can be prepared for parades and horse shows. But when something upsets that animal, its true nature shows. Likewise, when the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, the Law of God, finally hit old Adam where it hurts, the veneer flies off, and we see him for what he really is. Les says this must happen if we are going to come out of darkness and into the light of the Gospel. The context adds that those in the flesh cannot please God, but believers are told they are not in the flesh.