The fruit of the spirit is falls into 3 categories: the upward qualities, the outward qualities, and the inward qualities.  The upward qualities are love, joy, and peace.  The first of the outward qualities is long-suffering…or as some translations say, patience.  But this quality is much deeper than just having the patience to wait until someone is done talking, or being patient while we wait in line at Disney.  It is the kind of patience that exudes a quiet willingness to accept and live through both irritating and painful situations.  People who endure diseases or hard situations in life and do so while still portraying a Christ-like spirit are good examples of what it means to have long-suffering.  The only way to have this outward quality in your life is the spend much time working on you inward growth in Christ.