Life is either a reproducible, almost commonplace manifestation of matter, given certain conditions, or a miracle. Too many steps are involved to allow for something in between.
Among the billions of stars that make up each galaxy, many are bound to be circled by planets, a few of which, at least, are bound to be of the right size and in the right spatial orientation with respect to their sun (perhaps a large moon may be needed as well, to cause tides) to offer a cradle for life. The universe is not the inert cosmos of the physicists, with a little life added for good measure. The universe is life.
The Earth’s biodiversity, staggering as it is, may represent only a small sample of the diversity of life throughout the cosmos. What, in this overall pattern, is the likelihood of other biospheres besides our own giving rise to conscious, thinking organisms?