Heavenly Sandpaper

1 Paul,a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy,our brother: To Philemon, our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier,and to the church that meets in your house. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Philemon's Love and Faith 4 I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. 6 [I pray] that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for [the glory of] Christ. 7 For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. An Appeal for Onesimus
8 For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right, 9 I appeal, instead, on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus, 10 appeal to you for my child, whom I fathered while in chains—Onesimus. 11 Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to both you and me. 12 I am sending him—a part of myself —back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that in my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place. 14 But I didn't want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will. 15 For perhaps this is why he was separated [from you] for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother. This is especially so to me, but even more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.