The idiom "so close, yet so far" or "so near and yet so far" is a saying which means you have almost achieved something, but there is a long process or a long list of things you must do to accomplish it completely. For instance, a student might say, "There are only a few months left in this school year. It's so close, but so far away! I've still got so many things to do!" It can also be used to talk about people. For instance, I've said before, "Technology makes it so easy to stay in touch with my family members around the world. They're so close yet so far away."