Permanent.
Paul begins this section praising God for the comfort that comes during our times of suffering and distress. This section ends with a view toward the world to come. Paul writes that we keep our eyes on what we cannot see rather than focusing on the troubles that currently exist. What we see now is temporary. The unseen is permanent. How do we keep our focus on the unseen permanent without allowing the seen temporary things to distract us? Our thoughts have to focus on grace and glory. God’s grace given to us throughout life reminds us of his glory and our sharing in that same glory eventually. In other words, living in this world is about how we think. Suffering and troubles increase negative feelings. We overcome these with thoughts that these things are temporary. There is a constant battle between temporary feelings and permanent realities. Where does our support come from? God’s Spirit (3:1-5). Let’s concentrate today on the truth of the permanent recognizing that our support and help comes from God’s Spirit who lives in us.