³ I thank my God in every remembrance of you, ⁴ always offering every prayer of mine with joy [and with specific requests] for all of you, ⁵ [thanking God] for your participation and partnership [both your comforting fellowship and gracious contributions] in [advancing] the good news [regarding salvation] from the first day [you heard it] until now. ⁶ I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].^{(A) 7} It is right for me to feel this way about you, because [you have me in your heart as] I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good news [regarding salvation], all of you share in [His matchless] grace with me. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus [whose great love fills me]. ⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, ¹⁰ so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin]; ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized].