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Scripture Story Sketch Notes · Philippians 1; 3; 4

Press Toward
the Mark

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Chained to a Roman guard, Paul wrote one of his most joyful letters. He had given up a great deal, and he kept running toward one goal: Jesus Christ.

Start running ↓ Read Philippians 3:7–14 first
Hand-drawn doodle map: Paul writing in a Roman house with a light chain to a guard, palace guards listening, Paul setting down a heavy sack by the road, an empty tomb at sunrise, a runner far from the end, the runner leaning forward with old footprints fading, a goal post with a laurel wreath, and Paul sitting peacefully with bread and soft light.

Before you begin

The story in brief

Paul wrote to the Saints in Philippi while he was a prisoner, likely in Rome, guarded by Roman soldiers. Instead of complaining, he wrote that his chains had helped the gospel spread, because his “bonds in Christ” were known “in all the palace.” He had once been an honored Pharisee, but he said, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.”

Paul didn’t claim to be finished or perfect. Like a runner, he wrote, “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.” He had learned to be content whether full or hungry, because “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Who’s who

  • Paul: the Apostle, writing as a prisoner
  • The Philippian Saints: members of the first branch in Europe
  • Jesus Christ: the prize and the strength

Where and when

A letter from Paul under guard to the Saints in Philippi.

Watch for the Savior

Watch where Paul’s eyes stay fixed the whole race.

Read it yourself: Philippians 3:7–14

Part 1 of 7

The race, mapped

Eight stops from a prison house in Rome to the finish line. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.

    Part 2 of 7

    The story, plainly

    Four scenes: bonds in Christ, counted loss, reaching forth and strength through Christ. Look for the Savior in each one.

    Read it plainly

    The words that trip people up

    Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1

    1. Philippians 1:12“the of the gospel”
    2. Philippians 1:13“manifest in all the ”
    3. Philippians 3:12“not as though I had already ”
    4. Philippians 3:12“that I may ”
    5. Philippians 3:14“the ”
    6. Philippians 4:12“how to be ”

    Part 3 of 7

    Look closer

    Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders or Church resources. Each card says which.

    0 of 9 turned

    Part 4 of 7

    Where are you?

    Looking back, tired at the side, comparing, or pressing forward. Which feels most like you right now?

    Try it

    Questions for Paul

    Paul wrote this letter while under guard. Tap each question to see how he answered it in his own words.

    “I press toward the mark.” Philippians 3:14

    Part 5 of 7

    Their world, their words

    A little background helps us picture Paul’s prison and the races his readers knew. Outside sources are labeled.

    Church resource · Student manual

    A prison letter

    Philippians was likely written while Paul “was imprisoned in Rome from A.D. 60 to 62.”7

    Under guard, full of joy.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Clearing the way

    The Greek word for “furtherance” can refer to an army’s “cutting away of undergrowth.”7

    Chains cleared a path for the gospel.

    Scripture · Acts 16

    Philippi before

    Paul and Silas had once been jailed in Philippi, where at midnight they “prayed, and sang praises unto God.”4

    The Philippians knew Paul in hard places.

    Outside · Thayer’s lexicon

    Games and prizes

    Paul’s word for “prize” meant “the award to the victor in the games.”9

    His readers knew those races.

    Word study · Greek

    skopos σκοπός · “the mark” (Philippians 3:14)

    Bible Hub: “a watchman, a mark (on which to fix the eye).”8 Outside · lexicon

    The point you fix your eyes on and run toward.1

    Word study · Greek

    brabeion βραβεῖον · “the prize” (Philippians 3:14)

    Thayer’s: “the award to the victor in the games.”9 Outside · lexicon

    Paul’s prize is “of God in Christ Jesus.”1

    What the text does not say

    The story does not say Paul was done or perfect. He says plainly, “Not as though I had already attained.” He was still running, and so are we.1

    Part 6 of 7

    Look to Him

    He is the prize, the strength to keep running, and the peace that keeps our hearts.

    “To press toward the mark is to faithfully continue on the ‘strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life’ with our Savior and our Father in Heaven.”

    Elder Edward Dube6
    “Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which he wrote when he was bound in prison, is a letter of overwhelming joy.”
    Elder Edward Dube6
    “Let us focus on the goal of our ‘press[ing] toward the mark,’ which is ‘the prize of the high calling of God.’”
    Elder Edward Dube6
    “These two epistles are consistently positive and optimistic, and they contain some of Paul’s clearest and most earnest teachings about Jesus Christ.”
    New Testament Student Manual7

    Nephi

    Press forward

    “Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.” 2 Nephi 31:20

    Paul and Silas

    Songs at midnight

    “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God.” Acts 16:25

    Part 7 of 7

    Seek Him today

    A question to ask in prayer

    What do I need to set down so I can run toward Christ? Philippians 3:13

    Ask Heavenly Father to show you one thing behind you or one weight you carry. Then take one step forward with the Savior’s help.

    Try it today

    One step each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.

    0 of 7 today

    This week:0 of 7 days

    A quiet moment

    “I can do all things through Christ.”

    Read Philippians 4:4–13 slowly. Think of something hard in front of you, and ask the Savior for His strength and peace. Philippians 4:4–13

    A verse to hold

    Talk about it

    1. Where was Paul when he wrote this letter?
    2. What did Paul give up to follow Jesus?
    3. What did Paul say to do with the things behind us?
    4. What is “the mark” you are running toward?
    Open

    For adults and deeper study

    Go deeper

    Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
    Seventy

    Elder Edward Dube, “Pressing toward the Mark” (2021)

    Paul’s joy in prison, his mother’s lesson to “never look back,” and an invitation to keep our eyes on Christ.6

    Read the talk →
    Church resource

    New Testament Student Manual: Philippians and Colossians

    When Paul wrote, what he gave up, and what “through Christ which strengtheneth me” teaches about trials.7

    Read the chapter →
    Scripture

    Paul in Philippi

    The founding of the Philippian branch, including Lydia and the jailer, in Acts 16.4

    Acts 16 →
    Scripture

    Philippians 4: strength in Christ

    Paul’s closing chapter: rejoice in the Lord, the peace of God that passes understanding, and strength in Christ in every circumstance.3

    Philippians 4 →
    To ponder

    Harder questions

    • Why might Paul write about joy and contentment while he was chained to a guard?
    • What “gain” in your life could get in the way of knowing Christ?
    • How is “forgetting those things which are behind” made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

    Sources

    Every quotation, gloss, and piece of background on this page is listed here: scripture first, then Church sources, then outside scholarship (labeled).

    Scripture

    1. Philippians 3:7–14: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
    2. Philippians 1:12–21: “My bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace.”
    3. Philippians 4:7–13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
    4. Acts 16:25: Paul and Silas sing in the Philippian jail.
    5. 2 Nephi 31:20: “Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.”

    Church leaders and Church resources

    1. Elder Edward Dube, “Pressing toward the Mark”, general conference, April 2021.
    2. New Testament Student Manual, “Philippians and Colossians”, Gospel Library.

    Outside sources (labeled on the page)

    1. Strong’s 4649, skopos, Bible Hub lexicon.
    2. Strong’s 1017, brabeion, Bible Hub lexicon (Thayer’s).

    Quotations checked against the linked pages on October 11, 2026. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as published in the Gospel Library.

    “I press toward the mark”

    Keep running. The prize is in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

    Back to this week: October 4–10 Earlier: The Chief Corner Stone Next story: Rooted and Built Up All New Testament Story Sketch Notes
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    Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The story is told in Philippians 1, 3 and 4; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.