These words have captured the imagination of the Jew since antiquity.
The Midrash (Sifri 6:143) cites a peculiar requirement for the blessings to be effective.
The Kohanim cannot recite the blessing independently. They first must be uttered by a member of the congregation and only after be repeated, word for word, by the Kohen.
The Kli Yakar (1550-1619) explains: "The Chazan opens the channel to Heaven and bestows the blessings upon the Kohanim first... without the Chazan, the Kohanim will be drawing from an empty source."
Judaism believes in the power of blessings. But, in order for the blessing of others to take effect, we must first open ourselves us to the power of the word. Many times in life we look for external quick fixes only to realize that it all starts from within. Once we express our true readiness, only then, can the blessings of others catapult us to higher dimensions.