6 In our work together with God, then, we beg you who have received God's grace not to let it be wasted. ^2 (A)Hear what God says:

Listen! This is the hour to receive God's favor; today is the day to be saved!

³ We do not want anyone to find fault with our work, so we try not to put obstacles in anyone's way. ⁴ Instead, in everything we do we show that we are God's servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties. ^5 (B)We have been beaten, jailed, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food. ⁶ By our purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness we have shown ourselves to be God's servants—by the Holy Spirit, by our true love, ⁷ by our message of truth, and by the power of God. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves. ⁸ We are honored and disgraced; we are insulted and praised. We are treated as liars, yet we speak the truth; ⁹ as unknown, yet we are known by all; as though we were dead, but, as you see, we live on. Although punished, we are not killed; ¹⁰ although saddened, we are always glad; we seem poor, but we make many people rich; we seem to have nothing, yet we really possess everything.