.

"For this reason the apostle Paul said of Christ,
"In him are hidden all the treasures
of the wisdom and knowledge of God."
The soul cannot enter into these treasures, nor attain
them, unless it first crosses into and enters the thicket of
suffering, enduring interior and exterior labors, and unless it
first receives from God very many blessings in the intellect
and in the senses, and has undergone long spiritual training.

The gate that gives entry into these riches of his wisdom
is the cross; because it is a narrow gate, while many seek the
joys that can be gained through it, it is given to few to
desire to pass through it."
St. John of the Cross
.