7. And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you. I am sure because I have you in my heart. All of you share in God’s grace with me. You share in God’s grace with me while I am in prison, while I am defending the Good News, and while I am proving the truth of the Good News.
8. God knows that I want to see you very much. I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus.
9. This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love;
10. that you will see the difference between good and bad and choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ;
11. that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.
12. Brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News.
13. I am in prison because I am a believer in Christ. All the palace guards and everyone else knows this.
14. I am still in prison, but most of the believers feel better about it now. And so they are much braver about telling the Good News about Christ.