shape up

Also, shape up. Turn out, develop, acquire a distinctive form, as in Her reelection campaign is already taking shape, two years before the election, or Can you tell us how the book is shaping up? The first term dates from the mid-1700s and the variant, originally put as shape out, from about 1600.

The verb has one meaning:

Meaning #1: develop in a positive way
  Synonyms: progress, come on, come along, advance, get on, get along