Thus, one can grant that it is conventional for friends to rejoice in each other. As Paul describes matters in the course of the epistle, however, the sorts of things in which the Philippians should rejoice in the Lord are the sorts of misfortunes that might terminate most friendships. Rejoicing in the Lord requires that one be formed to perceive things in very particular ways, ways that run counter to the conventional patterns of perception. Further, it would appear then that rejoicing is not something