The two most difficult words to say - "I'm sorry"

Repentance.

Let us be strong enough to admit our deepest failures to ourselves and to those we have wronged.

In times of both corporate conflict among large groups of people - nations even - let us be strong enough to admit when we are wrong.

When we have been blessed with positions of leadership but we fail those who have put their trust in us, let us be bold enough to admit our shortcomings.

When we have hurt those we love - even when they have hurt us, no matter who struck first - let us have the fortitude to say, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Beauty

Let us appreciate beauty, not covet it.

Let us be able to be filled with admiration for a beautiful piece of creation; let us feel the radiance soak our chest without the desire to exploit it for ourselves and our own personal pleasure.

Please let beauty cause us to desire to draw closer to each other - and not just towards each others', but our muddy complications as well. Let our appreciation of beauty drive us to desire the well being of others, not the satiation of our lust.

Let our appreciation for beauty be pure.

Fruits

Let us love each other in all ways, at all times, even when we are hated

Let us be joyful, even when all internal and external forces seem to conspire against us

Let us be peaceful when beaten with life's problems, even when we are provoked to anger

Let us be patient as we acknowledge our own failures as well as the failures of others that may cause us pain

Let us be kind with a pure kindness that originates from the deepest part of our being

Let us be generous from the bottoms of our hearts, let us practice generosity in the smallest of ways so that we can be prepared to help other people when they need it most

Let us be faithful to God, to our friends and our families

Let us be gentle in both our speech and our actions

Let us control ourselves well so that we can guide the good desires with which we were beautifully created to be used in the right ways, in the right places, at the right times