How were the Thessalonians Paul's crown?

The third way in which Paul describes the Thessalonians is as the crown in which they will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes. Here he uses the picture of an athlete who has won a race being rewarded with a crown. It is easy for us, from a modern perspective, to think about this crown as a gem-studded golden crown, such as may be used by royal monarchs today. In the ancient world, though, it was a woven ring of leaves that was placed on the head of an athlete who had won a race. Perishable though it was, such a crown was a source of tremendous pride for a winning athlete. The crown was thus not the symbol of royalty, but of victory, or achievement.¹ For Paul, the accomplishment he had in mind would have been the faithful discharge of his ministry.