₅For it is not ourselves that we preach; we preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. ₆The God who said, “Out of darkness the light shall shine!” is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God's glory shining in the face of Christ.

₇Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us. ₈We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; ₉there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. ₁₀At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies. ₁₁Throughout our lives we are always in danger of death for Jesus' sake, in order that his life may be seen in this mortal body of ours. ₁₂This means that death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.