Paul's life is a model of the perseverance, endurance, and sacrificial love that he so often instructs us to have as part of our own character. He knows what he is talking about through experiential knowledge. I think we sometimes forget what qualified him for the lofty status we've assigned to him. If anyone thinks that being a believer and follower of Christ is supposed to make life easier and simpler, they haven't been listening to Paul's description of his own life.