Nails in the Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of
nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into
the fence. The first day the boy had to drive 15 nails into the fence.
Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger the number of nails
hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his
temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day
that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was
finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have
done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the
same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can
put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm
sorry, the wound is still there."
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they
share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.