1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, but is a safeguard for you. 2Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation. 3For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and do not put confidence in the flesh, 4although I could have confidence even in the flesh.If anyone else thinks to put confidence in the flesh, I can do so more: 5˻circumcised on the eighth day˼, from the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews, according to the law a Pharisee, 6according to zeal persecuting the church, according to the righteousness in the law being blameless. 7But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have considered loss because of Christ. 8˻More than that˼, I even consider all things to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and consider them dung, in order that I may gain Christ 9and may be found in him, not having my righteousness which is from the law, but which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith, 10so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already received this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on if indeed I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself to have laid hold of it. But I do one thing, forgetting the things behind and straining toward the things ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Therefore as many as are perfect, ˻let us hold this opinion˼, and if you think anything differently, God will reveal this also to you. 16Only to what we have attained, to the same hold on. 17Become fellow imitators of me, brothers, and observe those who walk in this way, just as you have us as an example. 18For many live, of whom I spoke about to you many times, but now speak about even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19whose end is destruction, whose God is the stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, the ones who think on earthly things. 20For our commonwealth exists in heaven, from which also we eagerly await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our humble body to be conformed to his glorious body, in accordance with the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.