Why did the Corinthians turn against Paul and prefer Peter?
The Corinthians rejected Paul even though he loved them and sacrificed greatly for them. They chose Peter instead because Peter had been with Christ during His earthly ministry, while Paul had not. Their turning away illustrates that the more Paul loved them, the less he was loved.
Les teaches that Paul was totally sold out to God, leaving material wealth behind and counting it dumb for the Gospel. He likely lost his wife and possibly a son because he turned from the Judaistic religion to Christ. In verse 15, Paul says he would gladly spend and be spent for the Corinthians, but the more abundantly he loved them, the less he was loved. They turned against him and said they would not listen to him, preferring Peter because Peter had been with Christ, but Paul never was.