Peter writes from Rome to the believers (mostly non-Jewish Christians) scattered throughout Asia minor (modern day turkey) who are being persecuted. He wrote to encourage them. Peter begins his letter by reminding them of the new identity they have in Christ (1:13 – 2:10) then moves to how suffering in obedience to Him is a great testimony for Him (2:11 – 4:11) and then gives them something to focus on that will help them through these tough times (4:12-5:11). Paul tells them to focus on the hope we have. 1st, the hope that rests in Who God is. 2nd, the hope we have in what He is doing and 3rd, the Hope we have through His calling and direction He gives to us. This hope is where we will focus our attention to start the new year. We will glean primarily from 1 Peter 5:5b – 11.