Step one in the polish process is a foam pad with a gritty compound. The kit I use is by 3M called Perfect-It. It's a series of pads and compounds that can make even guys like me know what they are doing!
Usually this first step is with a wool pad, but the kit has a foam pad now for step one. WAAAAY less splatter and I don't have foam tumbleweeds all over the shop from the blow-off from the pad.
Here is what the initial polish looks like. Notice the swirls and halos. That's ok. This step just gets the deep scratches out for a uniformity. Not a final step.
Cheers
Dave