That God basically has everything he needs and cannot be pleased by our good works. He could have simply recreated everything after it was fallen, but chose to show mercy, and salvation is receiving the spirit to conform the parts of ourselves to him (via sanctification) as he sees fit, and not to the extent that 'supererogation' teaches, where we try to do superfluous works that don't interest him or count.
I would disagree that God cannot be pleased by our good works. None of our works can merit (earn) our salvation, but the gist of the Scriptures is God telling men to do certain things and not to do others. We are told that our actions have consequences, and doing what is right in God's eyes brings God's blessings. That being said, yes, God loves His creation even though it is fallen, and He has reached out to us with the gift of salvation through faith in His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Salvation involves placing our faith in Christ as the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit works in us in the process of sanctification (what the Eastern Fathers term "theosis"). As St. Paul says, we are running a race: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable." (1 Cor. 9: 24-25) Salvation is not a one time event; it is a process that is ongoing throughout our lives. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Matt. 24:13)