A gem cannot be polished without friction nor a man perfected without trials.
- The part of the statement that mentions "nor a man perfected without trials" defines that the obstacles that may occur should be seen as a way to improve
- Also defines that the hardships you may experience will help pave the way to achieve something great and that man cannot achieve any improvement without suffering
- The part that mentions "A gem cannot be polished without friction" is being used to compare the two and form something and this can often be misinterpreted
Also keeping in mind that there is no state of being perfect