Paul corrected, cajoled, and reproved when the need arose. But he never ceased to express confidence in the ability of the disciples to rise to the occasion and live according to the gospel. With plenty of warm fuzzies, you are ready to reprove. And, as mean-spirited as it may sound to modern ears, the kind correction really gets us further along the path to righteousness than the empty compliments and flattery so typical of worldly folk. Proverbs, again, comes to the fore.
Admonition is very necessary part of the process of spiritual growth.
But one few are willing to do in the right spirit and manner. No wonder, then, so many go limping through their spiritual lives. In America it seems to be rare to think of conversion as someone being liberated from idolatry. Whether it be serving Baals or the greed of a secular person, idolatry arises out of trying to manipulate our world in order to take care of ourselves. To try to sustain our own life and to carve out a niche for our self by serving something other than God is vanity and a striving to catch the wind.