Next Jesus turned attention to His closest disciples. This is where the majority of this prayer concentrates (John 17:6-19). Notice how He deliberately specifies this small group as the focus of His requests.
I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours (John 17:6-9).
Jesus celebrates the success already enjoyed. Then He asks for continued protection for them as He leaves the world. This includes specific matters such as their unity (John 17:11), safety from Satan (John 17:15), and their sanctification which is God setting them aside for His special service (John 17:17).
This gives us some idea of what had occupied Jesus’ earlier prayers. It was the night before choosing His apostles that He had spent all night in prayer. Their selection was critical for the future of His mission. He surely had committed each aspect of this decision to the Father’s guidance.