<p>3:7 <em>For this cause, brothers, in all our distress and affliction, we were comforted through hearing of your faith</em>- Paul wrote to the Thessalonians how their faith was a comfort to him in his &quot;distress&quot;. And yet he goes straight on to say that he plans to visit them in order to &quot;perfect that which is lacking in your faith&quot; (:10). I find this so wonderful. Their faith was imperfect- and yet Paul all the same rejoices in what faith they do have, and can speak of &quot;all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before God&quot; (1 Thess. 3:9). Yet we are all too easily discouraged by the immaturities we notice in others' faith; instead, in a world where the majority don't truly believe, we need to focus on the positive in our brethren and rejoice in it, rather than holding them to some ideal standard which we claim to have in our own mind or understanding or perception. For when compared against the spirituality of our Lord, we are ourselves so miserably imperfect.</p>