St Paul's first missionary journey comes to an end. Even in its closing stages, Paul had to suffer physically, this time almost to the point of death. We are taught through theology that "Grace builds on nature". Paul was the recipient of many graces, but these graces built on a very strong human personality. We can see that Paul was a very courageous individual, not afraid to face suffering. We can see, too, that his ability to endure physical suffering was not a mere human quality. In the opening verses of several of his letters, he calls himself a servant. As a servant of Jesus the Suffering Servant, he could do no less than try to be like his master. His human courage was blessed by grace, for he was conscious that he was suffering for faith and for the kingdom of God. "We must all experience many hardships before we enter the Kingdom of God". This word of encouragement echoes the words of Jesus that we must take up our cross, even daily, and follow Him. At the same time, the early Christians learned the truth of Jesus' saying through experience: the teaching of Jesus became a fact of life.