I thank you for your help, however I must apologize for using the word "upbeat" when describing Paul.. I did not mean to infer that Paul was always happy with where he was or what was going on; I merely meant to point out the fact that Paul had found.....for lack of better ideas, inner peace in knowing that even though he is suffering, God is glorified. However, I had forgotten about the "thorn in the flesh" of Paul and his asking for its removal.. That is a good thing to remember <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Would you guys then agree that instead of being "happy" because of knowing that God is glorified, even during hard times/trials; we should use that knowledge of Gods being glorified as our drive to move through those times/trials? (I would agree that there are and will be times when one can be happy while in a hard time, but not always)