2 God the Father chose you as he planned to do long ago. You were made holy by the Spirit. You were chosen to obey Jesus Christ and to be made clean by the blood of his death. May you have much blessing and peace.
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He was very kind to us, and made us his children. So we have a new hope. This hope is a living hope because Jesus Christ was raised from death.
4 Because we are God’s children, one day we shall receive special blessings. They cannot be spoiled in any way, and they will last forever. They are kept safe in heaven for you.
5 You are saved by God’s power because you believe. You will then be fully saved. The way is ready and you will see it when the end of time comes.
6 This makes you very glad, even though now maybe you are sad because you have troubles of many kinds. They are only for a short time.
7 To believe is worth more than to have gold. Gold can spoil, but it is tested by fire to show that it is good. So troubles test you to prove that you believe. Then, because you really believe, you will be praised and made great and have honor when Jesus Christ comes again.
7 The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honor to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ appears again.
