2 Corinthians 4:7-12 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned;struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Paul had a physical problem he called a thorn. He asked God to heal him of it on three separate occasions. In fact, it is recorded that Paul "pleaded" (2 Corinthians 12:8) for God's intervention. The use of the word plead suggests that this physical affliction caused Paul great discomfort, personal hardship and possibly suffering. Scripture records, however, that Paul's attitude shifted from "pleading" to "boasting" of this weakness in his letter to the Corinthian church. He said, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Paul learned a spiritual lesson that allowed him to embrace his condition. He discovered, in addition to it making him humble and dependent on God, his weakness brought glory to God. Pain draws attention to our need for God, and it forces us to depend on him. When we persist through suffering, we becoming a living testament of God's victory over sin and death. Paul called this a "treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7)