Paul was always giving thanks for the believers, even in Corinth! And when we discover some of the things they were up to this is a minor miracle.
The reason for this thanksgiving is primarily because of the grace of God given to them in Christ. God had given them many gifts, primarily in the area of speech and knowledge. Later we are to learn that these gifts had caused some problems, but Paul does not say they should not use the gifts. The remedy for misuse is right use, not no use.
Paul also declares that God will keep them firm to the end, so that they would be blameless on the day of the Lord. Again this is an amazing thing to say. We see from this the correct attitude we should have to problems. Our attitude can so easily be either to condemn, to give up, or to overlook. Paul does not do these things. He is perfectly aware of what is going on, and has direct words to say about the matters, but the overriding thought is that the grace of God can overcome all things.
He then finishes this section by saying that God is faithful. So in all this Paul is directing them to look at the Lord above all. We tend to look at ourselves, problems, or other people (who we often see as the problem!) first, instead we should always look at God first.
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