A true friend is like a precious jewel. The Bible tells us: "He that hath found a friend hath found a treasure." In order to make friendships last for a lifetime, cultivate the qualities that foster lasting friendships. These are trust, honesty, respect, loyalty, and concern.
- Trust - True friendship is built on how friends trust each other. A real friend is someone you can confide your secrets to and know he or she will not disclose them to others. If you cannot share with a friend your most cherished thoughts because you think he or she might just be critical about it, then it is time to reflect if such a relationship is worthy of your care and attention.
- Honesty - Friends must always be honest with each other. Honesty is the best policy specially in lasting friendships. A true friend tells you your defects even at the risk of being branded as a faultfinder. It will be to your advantage if you reciprocate with the same honesty accorded to you though the truth may hurt.
- Respect - Respect is earned, not forced down one's throat. To earn it, you must also show deference for other people's rights. If, for instance, you see your friends studying quietly, you can show respect to them by not creating noise or engaging in boisterous laughter with your other friends. They will also respect your desires and wishes because you have shown respect for them in the first place.
- Loyalty - Loyal friends stick to each other through thick and thin. It is not only when the going is easy and smooth that friends stick to each other. True friends stay with each other even in times of insurmountable odds and difficulty and boost each other's morale until a crisis is over.
- Concern - This can be shown by little acts of thoughtfulness like remembering each other's birthday or greeting friends on their special days. This should be manifested specially during times of crises such as illnesses, emotional problems, misunderstandings, and unhappy situations. Concern can be shown through moral support, financial assistance, and by offering help or doing something about a problem in order that your friend might be relieved.