The old adage that “you cannot judge the value of something by the packaging it comes in” is certainly true of Christians. Like valuable treasure buried in dirt (Matt. 13:44), or a precious pearl hidden in an ugly oyster (Matt. 13:46), the human container does not reflect the value of the gospel treasure it holds. The amazing contrast between “the glory of God in the face of Christ” (vs. 6) and the feeble, imperfect, homely containers in which it is carried is the heartbeat of this passage. Paul communicates this truth not simply by principle but by example. Like much of 2 Corinthians, this passage is biographical, not didactic. It presents Paul not as a teacher communicating information but as a life we are invited to follow.