13 My friends, I don't consider that I've already won, but this is my one objective: disregarding what is behind me, I strain forward to what is in front of me. 14 I run towards the finish line to win the prize of God's invitation to heaven through Christ Jesus.

12 Not that I've already got it all, or that I'm already perfect—but I run so that I might win what was won for me by Christ Jesus. 13 My friends, I don't consider that I've already won, but this is my one objective: disregarding what is behind me, I strain forward to what is in front of me. 14 I run towards the finish line to win the prize of God's invitation to heaven through Christ Jesus.

15 Those of us who are spiritually mature should think like this, and if you think anything different, then God will reveal this to you.

17 That's why anyone who is in Christ is a new being—what was old is gone, the new has come!

3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through his great mercy we have been born again and given a living hope* through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

10 Create a pure mind in me, God, and make me trustworthy again.

11 Don't expel me from your presence; don't take away your Holy Spirit from me.

7 Be still in God's presence; wait patiently for him. Don't be upset over people who prosper when they carry out their evil schemes.

8 Taste, and you will see that the Lord is good! How happy are those who trust in his protection!*

31 But those who trust in the Lord will have their strength renewed. They will fly high with wings like eagles. They will run and not be tired. They will walk and not be worn out.

11 I know what I intend to do for you, declares the Lord. I plan good things for you and not bad. I'm going to give you a future and a hope.

25 I will also pour pure water over you, and you will be clean. I will wash you clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new mind and I will put a new spirit inside you. I will take away your stubborn mind and I will give you a loving mind. 27 I will put my Spirit inside you so you will follow my laws and remember to do what I tell you.

14 Above all, love one another, which is the perfect bond that will hold you together. 15 May the peace of Christ direct your thinking, because you were called to this by God who makes you one, and thank God for it!

11 Everything God does is beautifully timed, and even though he has also placed the idea of eternity* in our minds, we can't fully understand what God does from beginning to end.

10 They disciplined us for a short while as they thought appropriate, but God does so for our benefit in order that we can share his holy character. 11 When it happens, all discipline seems painful and not something to be happy about. But later on it produces peace in those who have been trained in this way so that they do what is good and right.

13 Come on now!—you people who say, "Either today or tomorrow we'll go to such-and-such a city, spend a year in business there, and make a profit." 14 You have no idea what will happen tomorrow! What's your life like? It's just a mist that appears for a little while, and then is gone. 15 What you should say is, "If it's the Lord's will, we'll live like this and plan to do that." 16 But right now you're caught up in your vain ideas. All this boasting is evil. 17 For it is a sin if you know to do what's right but don't do it.