en_tn/1co/03/12.md

General Information:

Paul speaks of what builders usually do when constructing a building to describe what the teachers in Corinth are actually doing. Builders usually only use gold, silver, or precious stones as decorations on buildings.

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw

The building materials used to build a new building are being compared to the spiritual values used to build a person's behavior and activities during his lifetime. Alternate translation: "Whether a person builds with valuable materials that will last or with cheap materials that burn easily" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

precious stones

"expensive stones"