Treasure in Jars of Clay

Having described in the previous verse 6 the gracious power of God to cause the living Christ to be savingly revealed to his people, Paul now describes the frailty of the "jars of clay," i.e., the human persons who carry about the indwelling Christ. In particular the apostles such as he and Timothy, in their service to the Gospel have been suffering every kind of hardship and persecution imaginable. Yet nothing can damage or destroy the power of their internal treasure, the living Christ himself by his Holy Spirit. Knowing the temporary nature of their present sufferings, and knowing that the resurrection of the dead awaits them, they continue their service undaunted in commitment, rejoicing that God can continue to use them to bring many others to faith. So should we follow their example.