Beautiful passage ...
Do not verses 8 & 9 look contradictory with verse 10? Or perhaps, they are two different (though complementary) thoughts, such that they do not really contradict at all?
Ephesians 2 (New International Version)
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature (or our flesh) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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BibleGateway.com - PassageLookup: Ephesians 2 ]
I find that the passage does not over-emphasize faith nor discourage good works, but instead, it discourages the counting of merits regarding one's good works and the avoidance of false pride regarding one's supposed "goodness" by having done many good works.
If I am to summarize the passage,
If you are to do good works, do it for it's own sake and no more, for such a job had been assigned to us before hand by God, having been chosen by Him as his worker for that task.
Verses 1 to 7 serves to lead up to verses 8 to 10, with verse 10 as the main point.