6. And I was so eager that I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God.
7. But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless.
8. Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as rubbish. All I want is Christ
9. and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ.
10. All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did,
11. so that somehow I also may be raised to life.
12. I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize.
13. My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.
14. I run towards the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done.