because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have been encouraged to speak the word of God without fear.

But you know that he has proved his worth, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

for he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was ill.

because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.

More than that, I count everything to be loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ