Free Flowin Fridayz (Week 44)

I am ON TIME with this post! Finally :)

Consider the following scenario:

It is winter 2006 and you just had a falling out with a friend. They lied a really bad lie to you, lied some more and did stupid stuff to try and cover for their lie. After things simmered down a bit you made it clear to the other person that the doors were open for them to rebuild the friendship they ruined they only had to find the correct key and right their wrongs. The other person proceeded to apologize for his/her mistakes and things slowly got better. You went from a non-talking relationship to talking a bit more. The tension between the two parties began to ease and over the next few years you maintained contact to check up on each other to see how things were going-like friends usually do.

Fast-forward to the present, Jan 2010.
This friend sends you a very random message apologizing for the situation that occurred a few years back and how he/she still regrets how the situation was handled and is humbled that through it all you are still a friend.
You reply to them and say something along the lines of "As long as I've had some kind of positive influence on the lives of those people I have interacted with then I am, for the most part, rather content."
They proceed to apologize yet again about how they hurt you and how if they had been more mature things would not have played out the way they did.
You tell them that "[they] didn't exactly handle the situation with finesse and that any conflict leaves scars, but both of us have grown up and learned from that experience. The experience may have left a wound, and wounds heal, but it left a scar. Without scars, how can we learn not to repeat stupid things we do in life?"
They once again express their regret for having ever scarred you in the first place by lying and handling this old situation in such a bad/immature way.
You tell them "It is what it is...the scar will probably never go away, but scars fade with time and you learn from every scar you get. Every scar just serves as a reminder for you to not repeat old mistakes and as a symbol for lessons you've had to learn the hard way."

1. What do you make of this situation?

2. Of the characters (the one who is apologizing/the one who is on the receiving end of the apologies)?

3. What would you do in a situation where you were lied to, hurt, or otherwise had a really huge falling out/argument with a friend where people would tell you "it's not worth it" "why are you still maintaining a friendship with that [insert profane adjective here]?"
{and lets say this friend you've only known for 6 months, but were growing close to and considered them a "good friend"}

Just some food for thought :)