Why did God take six days to create the universe?

Someone posted the following in one of the Christian discussion forums:

Hi, everyone. I'm new to this group. Hopefully someone can help me explain something. I've been talking to someone who doesn't really believe in God. He asked if God is all powerful why did he take six days to create the universe instead of just creating it instantly?

Here's my response:

God purposely "worked" six days and rested on the seventh to set up a model for us to follow.

God didn't create us to sit around and vegetate all day, every day; He wants us to be creative, productive, and nurturing beings like Himself.

However, He also did not create us to be a beasts of burden, working all the time. So he set the example for us to work six days and rest on the seventh.