Paul and those with him are ministers of the gospel, in which they plead with others to be reconciled to God no matter the consequences. The reality of ministry is that it is filled with joys and sorrows, highs and lows, glory and dishonor. Paul highlights suffering for the gospel, which seems pointless to those who don’t know the treasure of Christ, but worthwhile to those who know the joy of our Savior. Keep in mind that one of the occasions for Paul’s letter is to persuade the church to stay away from those false apostles who claim to be better than Paul, as our reading concludes with admonitions to keep from partnering with those who do not believe the true gospel.