Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17"The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners. Yet even hospitals have physical therapists -- people who push you past comfort so the healing can take hold. Friendship in the body of Christ is that kind of therapy. It hurts because it works."
-- N.T. Wright, *After You Believe*
"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight."
-- A.W. Tozer, *The Pursuit of God*
"For this is the art of God, to bring good out of evil, and not, as some say, to bring evil out of good. And indeed it is more proper to God to bring good things into being from what is not, than to accuse Himself of having made what is evil. And in like manner, the art of God is shown -- not in bringing evil upon men, for that were an unworthy thought -- but in turning even the wickedness of men to the accomplishment of His most righteous purposes."
-- Irenaeus of Lyon, *Against Heresies*, Book V
"If you wish to be perfect, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. Many hearing this have gone away, for they loved their possessions more than Christ. But do not be afraid, you who are weak and halting; take up the work according to your small ability, and give of what you possess. For if you cannot sell all, give at least some. The will is accepted in place of the deed."
-- Thomas à Kempis, *The Imitation of Christ*
If the people closest to you were shaping you by their daily presence the way iron sharpens iron -- what edge would you have by now, and what dullness would they have ground away?
"Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in a word, whatever are not our own actions."
-- Epictetus, *Enchiridion*, 1
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