The Apostle Paul was well acquainted with adversity and poverty.   In I Corinthians 4:11-12  he explains his plight, “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.  We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.  Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.”  So is it surprising to see Paul write here, ” I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…”?  Contentment in our life can be as simple as looking at the glass as half full, rather than half empty during trials and tests.  It can be expressing gratitude to God for the rain, (the blessings) in the midst of the raging storm in our life.  For the  secret to personal contentment for anyone can only be found in the deep and abiding relationship with God the Father.