Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 3:12-14 ESV
In the world, our pursuits have an ending. After students graduate, their formal education is done. At the end of a career, there is a retirement. The Christian life is not like this. No matter how long we pursue Christ, our goal still lies just ahead. In following Christ we can never declare, “I have attained!” There is no graduation. No one can say, “I have achieved the top-level ‘black belt’ in following Christ.” No matter how much we have pursued, Christ remains ahead of us. He is our goal.
Excerpted from Philippians: That I May Gain Christ by Titus Chu, p. 221