One of my favorite hymns.

These came to my mind this morning:

1 Corinthians 15:55-58
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

       The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law.

             But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory

                  through our Lord Jesus Christ.

   Therefore, my beloved brethren [and sistren] , be steadfast, unmovable,

         always abounding in the work of the Lord,

              forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. "

Philippians 3:816
"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss

        for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:

             for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

                  and do count them but dung,

                       that I may win Christ, and be found in Him,

                            not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law,

                                   but that which is through the faith of Christ,

                                         the righteousness which is of God by faith:

                                               that I may know Him,

                                                    and the power of His resurrection,

                                                    and the fellowship of His sufferings,

                                                          being made conformable unto His death;

                                                              if by any means I might attain

                                                                  unto the resurrection of the dead.
                                                                       Not as though I had already attained,

                                                                            either were already perfect;

                                                                        but I follow after,

                                                                              if that I may apprehend

                                                                                  that for which also

                                                                                       I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

           but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,

                and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

                      I press toward the mark for the prize

                            of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded:

       and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded,

             God shall reveal even this unto you.

                    Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained,

                          let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing."