¹⁰ and this was his purpose: that when the time is ripe he will gather us all together from wherever we are—in heaven or on earth—to be with him in Christ forever. ¹¹ Moreover, because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God’s sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. ¹² God’s purpose in this was that we should praise God and give glory to him for doing these mighty things for us, who were the first to trust in Christ.