Paul never once prays for believers to have easier circumstances, but that they would know God more deeply as a result of their circumstances. Becoming an apprentice of Jesus doesn’t rescue you from hardship, instead, God gives you the ability to persevere through hardships that would have previously crushed you apart from Him. See, it's knowing God, who you are in Christ, how valuable you are to Him, and the future hope that you have been called to as a child of God that gives you the power to endure and persevere in times of hardship and suffering.