In 2 Sam 7:8-17, David had a desire to build a temple for the Lord.  He wanted a central place for the Lord to be worshipped.  He was preparing or this task when the Lord told him that he would not be able to do it.  The reason was he had spilled to much blood during his lifetime.  Now for most men this would have been discouraging to the point of doing nothing.  This however was not the case with David.  He looked at this set back as an opportunity to do the work of preparation.  It was David who prepared the material for the building of the temple.  It was David who drew up the plans for the temple.  David gave much of his personal fortune for this task.  David looked at this task of preparation as a stepping stone.  Many times in our own lives we are faced with set backs.  How we face them is very important.  We could fume and fuss or we can grow from them.  It all depends on how we view things.  In Rom 8:28, it says that all things work together for good, not that all things are good.  Setbacks and problems can make us stronger or weaker it just depends on us.