Three years ago, in a land far, far away, two young girls became best friends and had a perfect friendship . . .

Get a grip! In the past few years, I've learned that no friendship is without its faults. Every friendship has at least a few areas that need improvement, and I know from experience how hard it is to talk with a friend about problems that need to be changed.

"Not long ago, my best friend and I began to go through a rough patch. I started to feel like I couldn't relate to her and express my true emotions without hurting her feelings. She, on the other hand, had no idea what I had been feeling because I had kept my feelings to myself. The longer I kept it in, the harder it became and the more I dwelled on it. I knew it was my responsibility to go to my friend, but I didn't know how.

"Finally, someone stated the obvious: Ask God for help! For so long, I was trying to do this all on my own. In prayer, I asked God to help me keep from flying off the handle and to grant me the wisdom and the tact to share how I felt. I also prayed that God would open her eyes and give her an open mind to solve our problems. And God did help us. We realized that we both have faults and that proper communication is a must in a friendship. Now our friendship is strong once again, and I know that talking with a friend about problems is an important principle for strengthening and maintaining a relationship." — Emily Quant

"One time I got into an argument with my parents, and I was on the verge of leaving home. A friend of mine came to me and told me that I needed to obey the Fifth Commandment, which says we should honor our parents. He also suggested I talk to my pastor about the problem. Even though my friend told me something I didn't want to hear, in hindsight I appreciate what he did. After talking with my pastor and my parents, we got things worked out, and I now really respect my parents. Real friends have to let their friends know when they are wrong." — Aaron Weis

"A friend came to me one afternoon and told me that the young man I was spending a lot of time with was lying to me and not acting honorably. Although the friend from an outside vantage point could see more clearly than I could, I didn't believe him. I ignored his advice. And what a mistake I made! Eventually, my heart was broken, and I realized that my friend's advice was correct. Thankfully, my friend remained my friend, and I learned the importance of listening to friends. Heeding my friend's advice could have saved me a lot of grief. Real friends look out for each other." — Lena Disman