If you look into the trends for what colors arise first in languages you'll see that it's believed that it goes: black then white, or black and white and then red.
This could be seen as the progression from black and white thinking into a breach of gradient, or color. Or from the black and white state of ignorance to the more hued life of the learned..
At the same time there's the symbology of the cyclical purification of the alchemical process and it's color associations of black white and red.
When you heat a piece of metal over a fire the first color is black because of the burning carbon, and then white from the ash, and then red as the molecules are at a very rapid state. This is when the material can be pounded or bent or finely worked to a desired form.
I find this metaphor deeply impactful and palpable and I often return to it in my work.