I will share a parable with you from the affairs of this world. Say a person wishes to build a grand house. Now, in his initial contemplation he sees before him an elegant house, with all of its rooms and myriad details, exactly as it will be when its construction is completed. Next, he formulates a practical plan of execution for all of its myriad details, which he will specify to the laborers, each detail at its proper time, including how to work with the wood, bricks, metal, and the like. He will then start building the house in actuality until it is finished, just as it was conceived before him in his initial contemplation.
Building a House as a Metaphor for Creation
Baal HaSulam's Preface to Zohar 24:1