A man once described a lesson his father taught him about his fiery childhood temper. Every time he said or did something mean, his dad drove a nail into their gatepost. Each kindness removed a nail. Day after day, the growing line of nails confronted him, until kindness finally outnumbered outbursts. Eventually, only one nail remained. Proudly, he watched his father pull it out—until his dad pointed to the holes and said, “Don’t ever forget that the scars remain.” Sin leaves scars too. God fully forgives in Jesus Christ, yet our sinful ways still do damage. That’s why it is so important to repent, so that we produce as little harm as possible. Nobody knew that better than the Apostle Paul, and 2 Corinthians 7:2-16 provides 4 instructions from him about how we can repent in order to minimize the destruction sin causes in our relationships.