Your faith and love continue because you know what is waiting for you in heaven—the hope you have had since you first heard the true message, the Good News
that was told to you. Throughout the world, this Good News is bringing blessings and is spreading. And that's what has been happening among you since the first time you heard it and understood the truth about God's grace.
Since the day we heard these things about you, we have continued praying for you. This is what we pray: that you will know fully what God wants; that with your knowledge you will also have great wisdom and understanding in spiritual things;
that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God;
Through his power all things were made: things in heaven and on earth, seen and not seen— all spiritual rulers, lords, powers, and authorities. Everything was made through Christ and for Christ.
Christ is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning of everything else. And he is the first among all who will be raised from death. So in everything he is most important.
And through Christ, God was happy to bring all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace by using the blood sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
But now he has made you his friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while he was in his body. He did it so that he could present you to himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before him.
And that is what will happen if you continue to believe in the Good News you heard. You must remain strong and sure in your faith. You must not let anything cause you to give up the hope that became yours when you heard the Good News. That same Good News has been told to everyone on earth, and that's the work that I, Paul, was given to do.
I am happy in my sufferings for you. There is much that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting my part of what must be suffered. I accept these sufferings in my body.
This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God's holy people.
God decided to let his people know that rich and glorious truth, which is for all people. That truth is Christ himself, who is in you. He is our only hope for glory.
So we continue to tell people about Christ. We use all wisdom to counsel every person and teach every person. We are trying to bring everyone before God as people who have grown to be spiritually mature in Christ.