Verse 6 tells us various things. First, we have a responsibility when God gives us gifts. We have to nurture and develop them, or as Paul says her, fan them into flame. Gifts do not manifest themselves by default. This is fundamental to the way that the Bible reveals God's working with mankind. God works together with us, this has always been His way. He has designed His creation so that it works when we walk humbly with Him, doing our part. If we do not do our part it will not work, if we do stuff, but do not walk humbly with God, it will not work either.
Next, the laying of hands can have a connection with imparting gifts. We have a tendency to go to one extreme or the other. One is to assign an almost magical quality to laying on of hands, the other is to say it is purely symbolic. Neither of these extremes is in line with what the Bible says. The laying on of hands can have an effect beyond the purely symbolic.
Now we come to a very well known verse about us receiving a spirit of power, love and self-control (or "sound mind" in some translations). So the Spirit of God gives us gifts, but He also affects our character. In the world power, love and self-control are often at complete odds with each other. Those with power use it for selfish or evil ends, showing little love or self-control. Love is sometimes equated with sexual lust, obviously lacking self-control (and love as well for that matter). At other times it is seen as weak, lacking power, or leading to impetuous actions, so lacking self-control.
In God all three, love, power and self-control, work together and complement each other.
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