Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.

I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee.

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel:

with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.

And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

My confident hope is that I will in no way be ashamed but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die.

who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.