Paul says our sufferings are -not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed.- That's an audacious claim, considering he has never -walked a mile in our shoes-. But is it necessary to empathize in this way- For Paul, not at all. He knows better, and he knows why. He knows Heaven's glory.--How do we endure suffering the same way as Paul- By taking the same preparations he did, implicit in verse 18.