ศาลาชุมนุม

[Tgeezer]

Figurative shouldn't be a problem, English has similar expressions: "God is love" for instance.
David has spelled out what it means but I prefer to just replace the words and keep it vague,
เพื่อน could mean friend, a friend, friends and คุณความดี can be goodness so:
A friend is goodness. Works for me.

[David and Bui]

Bui suggests that "เพอื่นเป็นทานบารมี" means "เพื่อนมีคุณค่ามากกว่าคนอื่น".

What do you think?

[Tgeezer]

Bui suggests that "เพอื่นเป็นทานบารมี" means "เพื่อนมีคุณค่ามากกว่าคนอื่น".

What do you think?

I think that's because she is Thai and every one has ทานบารมี!
From what Bui says I think that I might try it out when someone tells me that someone had done something kind for them, just as I might comment "Now that's a true friend" I will say เพื่อนเป็นบารมี and see how it is received.
If someone was telling me how a friend didn't help, I would probably say เพื่อนตายหายาก, there might be another half to this saying too.
I tried this out and was told in no uncertain terms that เพื่อนเป็นบารมี doesn't work. I suggested that it might be learnt from English and was rejected as ungrammatical. การให้เพื่อนเป็นทานบารมี is the only compromise, but ideally เพื่อน is better left out.

[Pirin]

Once a piece of text sounds philosophical and seems to be cofogurative, it is advisable that we do not guess what it means. The context which is not given can give us clues.

[Tgeezer]

I agree Pirin, Facebook is full of stuff which I don't try to understand because I know English, it is too easy to get involved with Thai past the point where in Engish I would have stopped trying.