I hope to see you on my way to Spain. And after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can equip me for my journey. ... so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.

When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.

So I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. For if I grieve you, who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved? I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I would not be saddened by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy.

Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows. For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more. ... On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

Brothers, although we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in heart), our desire to see you face to face was even more intense. For we wanted to come to you—indeed I, Paul, tried again and again—but Satan obstructed us. After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? You are indeed our glory and our joy.

For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith. For now we can go on living, as long as you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we adequately thank God for you in return for our great joy over you in His presence? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking from your faith.

Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.

I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father has commanded us.

For I was overjoyed when the brothers came and testified about your devotion to the truth, in which you continue to walk. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Beloved, although I made every effort to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the saints.