1 Corinthians 12:4-11 - Paul here says we are each given a manifestation of the Spirit, but not all of us have the same gift or gifts. We are to use them, however, for the common good. He makes pains to point out that though there are different kinds of gifts, they are given by the same Spirit. The implication that many miss is that none is more important nor should we insist that everyone have each gift. (although later, in 1 Corinthians 12:31, he does say that some gifts are higher and we should seek them.)
The other implication is that God has given us the church that we would be surrounded by others who have gifts that compliment our own and that our gifts would add to others. As a body, the church can do much because of the variety of gifts of the members. When churches shun people because they lack gifts the church somehow decided are more important or when individual Christians shun the church, they limit the working of the spirit by limiting the number of gifts present.
1 Corinthians 12:14-20 - Pauls uses our own bodies to reinforce the point. Our own bodies are made up of parts that perform different, specific functions. Each part is important in it's own way. The body would quickly die if the heart weren't present, but the heart cannot live without the lungs and blood vessels that feed it. Our body parts are interdependent, that is how God made us. So is the spiritual body, each individual christian has gifts to bring to the body and relies on the gifts of others in the body to bring their gifts to them. Just as our body parts are interdependent, so is the church.
1 Corinthians 12:21-31 - Paul blends his example of the human body with the church - to the point that it's hard to tell when the metaphor stops and when he is talking about the church. It only serves to reinforce how vital the church is - there are no dispensable parts, each is valuable.
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