Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting upset. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, "So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure" (2 Thessalonians 1:4).
Then he says something quite unexpected, "Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:" (2 Thessalonians 1:5). To what is he referring? Does he mean the patience and the peace are the righteous judgement, or does he mean the tribulation and persecutions are the tokens of the righteous judgement of God?
Translating Greek into English has many challenges because the Greek words carry endings that are much clearer indicating the object of the pronouns than English. In literal translations, such as Kenneth Wuest's, it becomes clear that Paul is referring to the patience and peace as the tokens of God's righteous judgement.
Our patience and peace come from a source outside ourself. They come from God. Therefore, patience and peace are manifestations that God is at work in you.
