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Have you ever seen one of those baby dolls that are practically lifelike? I'm talking about the creepy dolls with the moving eyes and ear-piercing screams the school loans you in health class. Not only does the doll sound like a real baby or get hungry and tired like a real baby, but it also tracks how it's being treated. It knows if it's being handled gently or not. It knows if it's being cared for and held. To top it all off, your grade is based on the data the doll collects. 

Well, all of those creepy settings on the artificial baby are modeled after signals real babies give to their parents. It is a great example of how we get signals from those around us when we are learning how to treat one another. Paul, who used to attack Christians and punish them, tells us to be gentle and patient with one another. This is something he realized later in his life, of course. He definitely was not gently attacking Christians! 

He had to unlearn his abrasive ways in order to practice the act of gentleness and patience. What does it take to be gentle and patient?