Required for what? To earn your salvation, perhaps?
This whole issue of easy vs. hard is of course silly. Christ said that it is both: it is a burden, but He makes the burden light. What is that burden? -- it is the good works required for final justification, just as the scripture tells us, and just like every epistle of St. Paul tells us. For some these good works meant martyrdom; for most it is a life of charity, dying to self, regular oblations, and yes, also study.
It becomes trickier to figure out from the Protestant mindset. There, salvation is a one time event which begins the Christian life; any good works are not the product of man's free will, but rather a consequence of that mythical one-time salvation. Any sin that might occur is forgiven. The "saints" persevere much like a roller coaster car "perseveres" as it glides from top to bottom along the rail. So that is the easy part Kosta was, quite correctly, referring to. Now, we are told, there is some Herculean task involved of studying the Scripture "to show oneself approved". Work it can't be -- Protestants are not saved by works. Salvation it can't be, -- Protestants are already saved. Research it can't be, -- elementary rules of research such as linguistic and historical veracity are violated carelessly. But we agree, it is a supernaturally hard exercise. Most fools' errands are.
It is too bad that you cannot get past the idea that everything is about salvation-it isn't.
All Christians will be judged at the judgement seat of Christ for their works and those works will be tried by fire (1Cor.3:13) and only those done in the power of the Holy Spirit will be remain as 'gold, silver and precious stones' the rest will be 'wood, hay and stubble' and will be burnt.
However, the believer will not be burnt (he himself shall be saved) (1Cor.3:13-16).
In other words, a believer in Christ no longer concerns himself with salvation he concerns himself with service.
The Christian knows he has crowns to win that will glorify the God that saved him, hence the term, 'so that the man of God, may be perfect thoughly furnished unto all good works' (2Tim.3:17).