Train yourself to honor every person you meet. Greet them warmly, take their hands and hold them to your eyes, and treat them with great tenderness. Speak well of them — attribute good qualities to them, even ones they have not yet grown into. And when they are absent, speak of them with kindness and call them by honorable names.
By practicing these things, you do more than simply encourage others toward virtue. When someone hears you speak well of them beyond what they feel they deserve, they will be moved by a kind of holy shame and drawn toward becoming what you have seen in them. And in you, these same habits will cultivate a peaceful and humble spirit, freeing you from many inner struggles that others must fight through great effort alone.
There is more. If the person you honor carries some fault or weakness of character, your consistent love and respect will itself become a healing force. Let them glimpse your awareness of their failing — only briefly — and the honor you have shown them will do the rest. They will be moved to change, not by rebuke, but by love.
Let this be your disposition toward all people. If you ever find yourself growing angry at someone — whether over a matter of faith or because of their wrongdoing — stop and take care. We all have a just Judge in heaven.
If your true aim is mercy, and you genuinely want to lead someone toward truth, then you must be willing to suffer for them. Speak to them with tears and with love. Let no trace of hostility show on your face. Do not rage against them. Love does not know how to be angry. It is not indignant. It does not look down on others in a way that causes pain. Wherever genuine love and wisdom are present, you will find deep humility — rising quietly from within.