Many come to take friendships for granted. And that's sad because friends define us as humans. If you don't have friends, you would feel alone and rejected in this world. Even as we've found our spouse, we still look to our friends to keep us company, to share our experiences.

Know This: Instant Friendships Don’t Happen

This type of relationship takes huge doses of honesty, trust, and loyalty. Establishing a friendship doesn’t happen overnight. You may have numerous acquaintances but real friends are few. Even if you're compatible with someone, it doesn't always lead to a friendship. Some just don’t have that deep connection you get with certain people.

An example that comes quickly to mind is the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. All twelve were his friends, but Peter, James and John were special.

Happily Making the Sacrifice

A friendship is tested when it is required that you have to give up a treasured object for a friend. Even when it's inconvenient, we make the effort to come through for our friends. It doesn’t even require much thinking sometimes; it’s automatic for you to do that for a person whom you value that much.

Giving and Taking

It’s not a real friendship if only one party is giving and the other keeps demanding. It has to be fair and it is not one-sided. Conflicts are natural and expected because you may be friends but you have your differences. The best thing about it is that the argument doesn't last long. Pride will give way to forgiveness, communication, and understanding.

• True forgiveness requires that remove all grudges and you're both moving forward.

• Adequate communication is connecting with your friends with an understanding of how he or she relates to people.

• Understanding is gained from knowing your friend deeply and empathizing with them.

A rock-solid friendship means that all the parties are true to each other. There’s no attempt to keep up a pretense. And no masks are worn. They accept both the good and the bad about each other.

How to Nurture a New Friendship

It could be that you had a chance meeting with somebody who you quickly got comfortable with. You share the same interests and you get the feeling that you want to see this person again. With every meeting, the relationship develops. You like how it’s proceeding but take heed that you don’t want to rush things. The other party may not be ready for the commitment that comes with having a best friend. Aim for a smooth pace. The worst thing that you can do is to overwhelm a person with your enthusiasm.

Showing the True You

As the friendship grows, friends share each other’s happiness and sadness. It is during the difficult periods that true colors show. You know who your true friends are when you’re facing a tragedy or during the lowest times in your personal life. They appear to support you and help you back on your feet.

Friends Help Each Other Grow

Do you believe in tough love? Yes, friends do that for each other. They applaud you when you’re up but they also tell you if you’re wrong. But they never desert you. It takes a lot of time to gain a friend and you'll only know if it's real when it has been tested. Distance and difficult times can't ruin a real friendship.