Pastors will experience a level of suffering uncommon, unfamiliar and not understandable to other believers. That is God’s way of keeping them humble and reminding them that it’s not them, but the Gospel that must be on display through them. And when they understand this, they realize that successful ministry is getting out of the way and allowing the power of Christ to shine through. By using “jars of clay,” God wants to make it clear that divine power lies not in the human messenger, but in the divine message. It is true for all Christians. It is especially true for pastors.