1 Thessalonians 1:2-6

We are grateful to God for your lives and we always pray for you. For we remember before our God and Father how you put your faith into practice, how your love motivates you to serve others, and how unrelenting is your hope-filled patience in our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear brothers and sisters, you are dearly loved by God and we know that he has chosen you to be his very own. For our gospel came to you not merely in the form of words but in mighty power infused with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. Surely you remember how we lived our lives transparently before you to encourage you. And you became followers of my example and the Lord’s when you received the word with the joy of the Holy Spirit, even though it resulted in tremendous trials and persecution.