Yes, it is often a long and arduous process. For the most elite journals, there's often a nine month to a year delay between initial submission and initial decision, and if the answer is "no," often the reasons for the rejection are not given. If the answer is "resubmit with revisions," then it'll probably take another four to five months between resubmission and final acceptance. And then you might have to wait at least a year between final acceptance and the piece showing up in print.