It did consume a lot of time, but it was very rewarding.

consume 是动词，由前缀 con-（表示"完全"）和词根 sume（来自拉丁语 sumere，意为"拿取"）组成，字面意思是"完全拿走"，引申为"消耗、花费"的意思。在句中指时间被大量占用。