Nail 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 back
> of the fence. The first day the boy had
> driven 37 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."