But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire,
endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire: Paul’s success as a missionary may have been traceable in large part to the intensity with which he undertakes any task. Even the plan to return to Thessalonica springs from "great desire." It is not a halfhearted gesture but a wholehearted commitment, the same word having been used by Christ at the Last Supper (Luke 22:15) and by Paul in connection with his departure to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23).