The natural behavior of a Vaisnava is to always look for good qualities. We should set aside whatever faults there may be and look for what other devotees are sincerely doing. Sometimes it may be very difficult to find something favorable, and we might conclude, “Oh, this person is not a devotee.” We may think so many other thoughts. If our consciousness is absorbed in that way, we should seek out the association of the devotees in whom we can see good qualities. Srila Rupa Gosvami explains in Nectar of Instruction that we should mentally honor a neophyte devotee, and it may be necessary to do it from a distance so that we will not always be absorbed in looking for some fault. Therefore, we should keep ourselves in the association of those devotees who have good qualities that we can see and appreciate.
(Caitanya Caritamrita Lectures Book, Adi Lila: 8.62 Kiev—May2, 2000, Pg 102)