The narrative of the Book of Exodus may be broken down into three parts: first there is Egypt, from which the children of Israel escaped into the desert by a miraculous crossing of the Red Sea which opens for them and closes over Pharaoh's soldiers. The crossing of the desert is accomplished next under the guidance of Moses, with the help of heaven. Moses does not, however, fulfill his mission; he dies and is taken by the Lord before Israel arrives at its goal. It remains for Joshua to take command and to lead his people into Jerusalem. Once more, an act of god is required before this can occur, for the river Jordan is flooded and must be parted by another miracle before Israel can cross. Thus there are three crucial stages along the way: the Red Sea, the desert, and the River Jordan, and the journey cannot be said to be complete until the last step has been taken. Unfortunately, however, the last stage on the way to perfection is the most difficult to take, for, to return to the language of the doctrine which underlies the figure, it is the work of sanctifying grace.
There are three crosings, that is, the crossing that is a beginning and the crossing that is in the making and the crossing that is an arrival ... this then is the threefold paschal crossing, of which the first is through the sea of contrition, the second through the desert of religion, the third thorugh the Jordan of death; and thus we arrive at the promised land.
John Freccero, Dante: The Poetics of Conversion
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