Paul began this epistle by identifying himself and his companion and by wishing God"s richest blessings on his readers. [source][source][source]
"Almost all letters from the Greco-Roman period began with a threefold salutation: The Writer, to the Addressee, Greetings. Very often the next item in the letter would be a wish (sometimes a prayer) for the health or well-being of the addressee. Paul"s letters, which generally follow this standard form, usually include a thanksgiving; in some of these, as here, he also includes a prayer-report. But in contrast to most of the ancient letters, which tend to be stereotyped, Paul tends to elaborate these formal items; and in so doing, everything Paul"s hands touch come under the influence of the gospel, and thereby become distinctively Christian." [1][source]