And from so imminent a death God delivered us, and will deliver us again; for in him we have placed our hopes of future deliverance, while you, also, help us by your prayers.

And so, while death is at work within us, Life is at work within you.

We, all the while, gazing not on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is transient, but what is unseen is imperishable.

Even while in our present body we sigh, longing to put over it our heavenly dwelling,

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, while our home is in the body, we are absent from our home with the Lord.

This is my reason for writing as I am now doing, while I am away from you, so that, when I am with you, I may not act harshly in the exercise of the authority which the Lord gave me--and gave me for building up and not for pulling down.